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goop recipes
Photo courtesy Deborah Mock

Easy Goop Recipes for Kids

From homemade play dough to slippery slime, here are four goopy concoctions for kids to make at home.

When spring showers hit, simple hands-on projects are a great way to entertain the kids indoors. My family loves these goopy concoctions. We have created them together, with friends, and with scout troops, too. The results are always amazing and the finished product is something that kids can play with for months.

Scented Homemade Play Dough

This is a classic recipe for dough that kids can sculpt, roll out, and squish, then smush it into a ball and start all over again.

You will need:

Safety Note: Many scented or essential oils are not safe for ingestion. For toddlers who love to taste everything, omit the scented oil.

Instructions:

  1. Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar together.
  2. Mix water and oil in a pot. Add flour mixture and stir.
  3. Heat over medium heat and stir constantly. Add 1 teaspoon of scented oil during heating.
  4. When dough starts to form a ball, take off the burner and cool. Separate the dough if you would like to make multiple colors. Add food coloring and knead coloring into dough.
  5. Store in zip top bags.
Photo courtesy Laura Kelly

Slippery Slime

Our youngest daughter has made oodles of slime and tested many versions. This one is her slimiest favorite.

You will need:

Instructions:

  1. Pour white glue into a medium-size bowl.
  2. Squeeze a few drops of food coloring in and stir.
  3. Add shaving cream and stir.
  4. Add baking soda and stir.
  5. Add saline solution and mix completely, using your hands.
  6. Add the baby oil to make it slimy and less sticky.
Glass sparkle silme
Photo courtesy Laura Kelly

Sparkle Slime

This recipe is a favorite around my house. It has a totally different consistency from other slime recipes and its glassy look sparkles in the sunshine or a bright room.

You will need:

Instructions:

  1. Mix the glue and ½ cup water in a bowl.
  2. Add sequins or glitter.
  3. Mix Borax into the other ½ cup of water and stir. Add the Borax mixture to the glue mixture and stir, stir, stir. Drain any excess water that does not absorb into mixture.
  4. Knead the mixture and play with it. The more you play with it, the smoother it will become.
  5. Store in an airtight container.
Photo courtesy Laura Kelly

Cloud Sand

This soft, smooth concoction is moldable like sand. It works well with cutters, scoops, and sand tools.

You will need:

Instructions:

Family Food

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