Christmas Slime For Kids! Holiday Sensory STEM

Christmas slime for kids! Holiday Sensory STEM.

I’m going to say something that might make some moms cringe, so get ready.

I love slime. Seriously, I really enjoy making easy homemade slime. It is so easy, it only needs a few items, and my kids love it too.

Slime making is a great sensory activity, and it works in some interesting science. (Two of my favorite things!) And it is so easy to take your basic slime recipes and add a holiday twist.

So let’s do just that. Here are some simple Christmas slime recipes for you to try at home.

Christmas Slime

How To Make Slime

Making slime can sound like an ordeal, but once you gather up your slime ingredients it really only takes a few minutes to put together. Here is the easy Christmas slime recipe I use to make our holiday slime.

You Need:

1. Glue
2. Warm Water
3. Borax
4. Food Coloring and Add-Ins

To Make:

This is for the general amount of slime I think one kid needs to play with at a time.  You can scale it up or down to make as much slime as you want.

Put 4 oz of glue into a bowl and mix in about 4 oz of warm water.

At this point, put in any add-ins you want to use.  You can add some in later, but it is easiest at this stage, especially if they are smaller (like glitter).  If you are adding food coloring now is the time.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of Borax into 1/2 a cup of water.  This is easier to do with warm water.

Start adding the Borax solution to the glue solution, spoonful by spoonful stirring the whole time.  The slime will start to form pretty quickly.  Add the Borax until your slime is a consistency you like.

Christmas Slime Ideas

Here are some fun ways to customize your slime for maximum Christmas fun.

Christmas Tree Slime

Add-In Options:

1. Green Food Coloring
2. Glitter
3. Sequins
4. Popsicle Sticks

Add green food coloring when you mix the glue and water.  Then toss in some glitter and/or sequins.  Mix and continue the rest of the slime.

The green slime is, of course, the Christmas tree, and the sequins are the ornaments.  (The glitter is just pretty and fun.)  Your kids can shape their trees and push around the ornaments!

Use the sticks to create the trunk of the tree and you are ready for Christmas tree fun!

Candy Cane Slime

Add-in Options:

1. Red Food Coloring
2. Glitter

You will be making two batches of slime for this.  Keep one white.  Add red food coloring as your add-in on the other.  Feel free to add glitter to one or both of the slimes.  (You don’t have to, it’s just fun.)

Once you have completed your slime you are ready to make your candy canes!  You can swirl your red and white slime together to create beautiful designs.  The two colors won’t fully mix, but you won’t be able to separate them afterward.

Ice Slime

Add-in Options:

1. Glitter

For this slime, you will need to make one change to the main recipe.  Use clear glue instead of the typical white.  You are making clear slime with this.

The recipe doesn’t change, though I have found it makes the slime a bit stiffer.  It is still very fun to play with, so I still recommend this.  (And the stiffness adds to the ice quality.)

Add the glitter when you are mixing the clear glue and water, then finish the slime as usual.  Don’t worry, the glitter stays in the slime.

This is a perfect slime if you have a Frozen lover.  And it is a fun way to create winter fun without actually having to go outside!

Grinch Slime

Add-in Options:

1. Green Food Coloring

Add the green food coloring when you mix your glue and water.  Yes, you are basically just making green slime here.

Time for the Grinch part.  If you have a heart-shaped cookie cutter grab that, otherwise you can just draw a heart on a piece of paper.  Shape your slime into a heart either just on the paper or with the cookie cutter.  (Make sure it isn’t too thin.)

Pull off the cutter (or just leave the heart alone).  As you watch it, the heart will grow, just like the Grinch’s heart!  You can talk about how slime is a non-Newtonian liquid and will hold a shape under stress but act more like a liquid when not.  Or you can just talk about the spirit of Christmas.

Learn another way to make the Grinch’s heart grow with an easy chemical reaction—> Grow the Grinch’s Heart

Other Christmas Slimes

If you are looking for a more open-ended Christmas activity, just make three slimes: Red, Green, and White.  You will need to make three batches, but once you are making one it is really easy to just make more.

Here are some fun ideas for your slime:

Snowman Slime

Use the white slime to make snowmen!  You can use sequins or buttons for the eyes, maybe some red slime for a scarf.  Whatever you can think of!

Santa Slime

Use the red and white slime to make Santa.  How big can you make his beard?

Elf Slime

Use the green and red slime to make an elf.   Can he help your Santa make presents?

Want more Santa fun? Try this Santa counting game with free printable—> Christmas Math Worksheets

Safety

As always, use common sense safety with this activity.  Don’t let your children eat the slime, and try to make sure they don’t touch their eyes.  Wash hands when done with this.

If you notice your child’s skin developing irritation, stop using the slime and wash the area right away.

A Note on Borax

I prefer to use Borax to make my slime.  It is easier.  And I find it is cheaper to keep a big box of Borax on hand to make slime and crystals.  (Learn how to make crystal ornaments for your tree—> Homemade Crystal Ornaments for Kids)

Borax has gotten a bit of a bad reputation, but seriously if you are practicing general safety and hygiene you are fine.  Watch this video to learn more and see that it is safe—>Why Borax is Okay To Use.

If you are trying to go Borax free, you can look up methods using liquid starch and baking soda or contact solution.  (Just know the reason certain contact solutions work is that they contain borate and boric acid.)

A Bit Of Science

I’m not going to go too deep into the science of slime.  You can check out this post for that—> The Science of Slime.  (This post also has other fun slime recipes to try like fluffy slime and butter slime.  These are good ones!)

The short explanation of how slime works is polymers.  The glue and Borax react to create chains of polymers that hold together, but slide against each other, giving slime it’s unique properties.

Slime Christmas

Slime can be so much fun, and Christmas slime is even better.  It is a great sensory activity to keep kids busy while you get things done around the house.  (Learn why sensory play is so important and get no prep activities to try—> The Big Benefits of Sensory Play)

This is also a great way to tie an educational activity to favorite Christmas movies.  Kids love to learn naturally, but connect it to a show they like?  It just gets better.  Maybe slime will be your new holiday tradition.