I have a super simple and fun children’s craft idea for you to make unicorn slime (without using Borax). Slime is just always a win with my girls- it is quick and easy to make and there are so many fun and creative variations to give yours a unique twist.
I wanted something bright and cheerful and playful for Spring and decided to make a glittery, rainbowy, unicorn slime and it was a huge hit with my kids.
There has been some negative press about slime with Borax and I have posted a slime with borax recipe, a slime with no borax and now I wanted to try a different recipe and see how that worked out. We used contact lens solution for this recipe and it turned out pretty well! Fairly comparable to the other slime recipes but a little easier to mix together.
So here is what you need to make this version of slime:
This particular recipe is really unusual and came from Elmer’s Glue. Usually with slime you need either fabric softener or borax but this recipe calls for:
- 4oz Elmer’s Glue (I used colored glitter glue)
- 1 tablespoon contact solution (mine was $2.98 for 2 large bottles at Walmart)*
- 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
Mini Unicorns are optional- I found mine once upon a time at the Target Dollar Spot but here are a bunch to choose from online
Easy right? Now you simply add the glue to a bowl- our glue was 6 oz so I just guessed at the 4 oz mark.
Next add the baking soda and mix well. If you use white or clear glue, now is the time to add any food coloring you might like. I used blue, purple and pink glitter glue so no coloring was needed. Lately, Coles recipes are really popular. Homemade recipes are also a major content of Woolworths specials.
Last add the contact solution. Mix really, really well. This is sticky and messy but after kneading the slime should come together well.
Here is the slime after making (3) batches one per color of glitter glue we had. I took the lump of slime and rolled it out into a snake shape. Once all three were rolled out, I placed them side by side and just rolled them together to create a swirly, rainbow.
To make this a little more fun, I purchased some mini unicorns and we added a little extra glitter to the slime. My girls really got a kick out of this.
This would be a really cute party favor- I can see adding the slime to a clear treat bag, tying with ribbon and one of the unicorns around the top. Easy and cute.
If you decide to give this recipe a shot, come back and let me know what you think!
*Very Important Note on the Contact Solution. Be sure to read the label and only purchase contact solution that contains boric acid. If it does not contain boric acid you will need Borax to get the slime to come together. Thanks to reader Amy for pointing this out! Some people have had DIY slime fails. I am not sure what is going wrong but I suspect it is an issue with the type of contact solution. I can say for sure that the Walmart store brand pictured above does work beautifully.
Here are a few other children’s crafts you might enjoy:
How to Make Children’s Bouncy Balls
DIY photo coasters (perfect gift idea)
This is great! Thank you for the idea! I’m thinking of having the kids make this @ the party for a fun craft & maybe just having different “add ins” they can use. Glitter, mini-toys, that squishy-crackly stuff, food coloring, etc.. Anywho, here’s my question, I have never made slime before, is there one method you prefer over another?
Hi Angie,
I prefer the liquid starch I think. The Borax is a little unpleasant if you get it in eyes and some kids have had medical issues from playing with slime in extreme levels (like daily for 60 days type extreme). I don’t really like working with it either- it gives me a tingley feeling in my hands (I get the same tingle if I use Clorox wipes). This particular slime is fun and bouncy but it doesn’t stretch as nicely as the liquid starch. So I guess liquid starch wins in my book however fabric softener and starch and such are fairly harsh cleaning agents- at least from what I have read- so for overall easiness and quickness and safety I think this method. 🙂 Hope that helps!
You can also keep the leftover saline solution in your first aid kit. I use it often to irrigate the cuts and wounds on my kids’ skin before applying ointment and a bandaid.
Great idea Em! I would have never thought of that. 🙂
What a cute idea! Where did you buy the mini unicorns?
Hi Felice,
I found those in a jar in the Dollar Spot at Target. I think you can find all sorts of mini animals at the craft stores too in the section with craft boxes and doll items.
This didn’t work. It just turned out like whipped cream and never formed into slime. I have attempted to make slime twice and it has never worked.
Hi Amelie,
Did you measure your ingredients? This recipe is mostly glue so if it is turning into whipped cream that means you have too much liquid. If you empty a container of glue into a bowl it should be thick and sticky- not creamy. You are only adding a very small amount of contact solution and then a bit of baking soda- certainly not enough to take a thick, sticky glue into liquid. I wonder if it is the brand of glue you are using? Did you use the glitter glue pictured or another brand? And it was a craft glue? Can you try adding more glue to the mixture and see if that helps firm it up?
Good luck!
Thanks for the recipe, unfortunately we followed the instructions to a T – even using the same glue and it didn’t work out. The result after 10 minutes of kneading is still a sticky goopy mess.
Hi leah- did you try adding a little more glue? Sticky goopy mess with 10 minutes of kneading? Not sure what would have went wrong there but I found some videos on how to correct watery slime:
https://wn.com/how_to_fix_slime_that's_watery
This worked out MUCH better than other recipes we have used! Love it.
Hi Jenn,
So happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment.
My two girls and I made this tonight and it was SO easy and made the perfect slime! They were so happy!
I am so happy to hear that Kerri!
Our batch with this recipe was a total FAIL– the slime never formed, and yes I measured it all out. it was so sticky and not able to pick it up and when we did, it tore apart.
If the slime is still watery or goopy check the contact solution- it must have boric acid in ingredients! I tried so many batches with solution we use at home and it never worked. I finally saw in a tutorial that it must have the boric acid to activate the baking soda which forms the slime. Hope this helps!
Hi Amy- thank you for the tip. I’ll go check my saline solution to see if that is the issue 🙂
Worked perfect and my kiddos loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
We really live this worked great . I had the plain white glue already and added glitter to it . The glitter came out of the slime as we played with it , make a glitter mess. Does it come out of the slime if you used the glitter glue ? Thanks
Brenda, I haven’t had great luck adding glitter to slime. It sort of lumps up and doesn’t look as nice. The glitter definitely doesn’t come out if you use the glitter glue. 🙂
This didn’t work for us either!! What a mess. It was like thick syurp!!! Maybe Elmer’s school glue is bad for this? We used the 6oz bottle 1.5 TBLspn of contact solution. With boric acid and 1 TBLSPN of baking soda. Was so watery!!! So we added, it had to have been at least a half a cup of baking soda to thicken it up!!! It never did. My daughter was so excited about this too!!
Hi Sarah,
Here is a video from Elmer’s with school glue. This is exactly what mine looks like when I make slime.
http://elmers.com/videos/video/jumbo-colored-slime
Perhaps you can see what is going wrong in your attempts? I can’t say what could be wrong because I have never had a watery mess before. It just always comes together quickly. Curious what time of saline solution you used? Wondering if that might have something to do with it?
My 5 year old son and I had so much fun making the slime! Super easy. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Yeah! Happy to hear that Kristie!
Thank you for clarifying the type of contact solution. I have tried this twice with my Grandkids and all we got was a sloppy mess. I wish the Elmer’s site had said this before we wasted our glue and contact solution. Not sure I will even try again.
Oh Diane give it another shot. My 8 year old makes it all by herself so I promise you the recipe works and it shows the Grandkids that sometimes you need to try things more than once. 🙂 You should have seen the first Thanksgiving dinner I cooked by myself. 😉 So glad I didn’t give up after failing or getting disappointing results.
Ours turned out perfect! Thanks for sharing!
So thrilled to hear that Julie!
Just made this with my boys using Target brand saline solution for sensitive eyes, came out perfectly after some kneading. Thanks
Oh fabulous thanks so much for including the brand you used Amanda! So happy it worked out 🙂
We just made this with my 4 year old and 2 year old. They LOVED it. I’ve tried other slime recipes before and usually end up with a mess and no slime. We used exactly the same glue and the equate contact solution. I even used my kitchen scale to measure out the 4oz of glue. It came together PERFECTLY! I was so surprised at how quick and easy it was. The kids are having a blast with it. Thanks for the tutorial!
Ha! You weren’t messing around Kayla! SO happy it worked out. I bet it is the variations on contact solution that is the hiccup here.
Hi! I used your recipe for my two grandchildren and it worked out great! My granddaughter, who is almost 8 figured out how to make bubbles using a straw. She has a blast with it. I did notice that I had to add a little more contact lens solution to get it all together. Some things are not a pure science, this being one of them.
Don’t give up, people! Try to add a little more of this or that if you are having a “fail.” You might find that what you try makes it work- and if not, you haven’t lost anything additional. Good luck everyone and thanks again, Charlene!
Hmm.. bubbles using a straw? We will have to give that a shot! Thanks for the feedback Sue!
Does it have to be Elmer’s Glue? I can order Glitter Glue from Discount School Supply or S&S much cheaper than Elmer’s Glitter glue, but wondering if that would affect the consistency? Thanks!
Hi Heather,
I have only tried Elmer’s so I am not sure if other brands will work as well or not.
4 oz of each color or 4 oz of all three combined?
Hi Abbey– it depends on how much slime you want. I did 4oz of each color. 🙂
Just made this with the kids and it turned out AMAZING. They’re having so much fun and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t make some for myself to play with.
Lol right? Once you start squishing it is hard to stop 😉
Hi! How do I store this slime after making? And how long can it keep for?
Stan- I just store it in a Ziploc bag. You might also use a Tupperware just to keep it from drying out. You can keep it for a long time sealed up tight- easily weeks. I haven’t kept ours longer than that because the kids play with it so much. I have noticed the colors will change a little the longer it sits- less vibrant in my opinion but otherwise no issues.
I tried this and the slime came out pretty well! The only thing was, when i played around with the slime, I felt that the slime is tad watery although it stayed together. Could it be that I used slightly too much contact lens solution? Nonetheless, it’s so easy to make! Thank you for sharing!
Yes Sheila maybe. You can totally tweak it a little- try more baking soda and more glue. I tinker all the time to make it perfect. 🙂
Just made this with my 3 year old granddaughter! It was perfect! I followed your directions! Thanks so much!!!