In our classroom the children always seem to enjoy sensory activities, and when thinking about it, there was one activity we haven’t made together yet, slime! The children eagerly participated, taking turns adding ingredients and mixing. We combined glue, baking soda, hot water, and blue food colouring This collaborative process encouraged patience, turn-taking, and teamwork. While the final result did not turn out as expected and was more runny than typical slime, the children remained engaged and adaptable, continuing to explore the texture and enjoy the experience of getting messy together. This experience provided opportunities for problem solving and reflection, as we discussed what we might change next time to improve our recipe.
A couple weeks later…We decided to revisited our slime-making experience for round two! We gathered together around the table and took turns adding the ingredients. The children helped combine glue, baking soda, and this time green food colouring that Jayden picked, before carefully mixing everything together. This experience was great as an early science exploration as the children observed how the ingredients changed when combined.
Once the slime was ready, the children used their imaginations in many creative ways. Austin rolled his slime like dough and shared that he was making pizza and then ice cream. Penny F rolled her slime into a spiral shape and proudly said she made a snail. Finley explored the slime by rolling it into a ball and stretching it as far as he could across the table. Jayden was very interested in helping mix all of the ingredients together, although he initially chose not to play with the slime afterward. Later in the afternoon, he changed his mind and decided to explore it too.
As the children played, I noticed many of them enjoyed rolling, stretching, and shaping the slime. During our discussion, I wondered and asked the children if they noticed any differences between this slime and the slime we made previously. Norah thoughtfully observed, “Last time it was too wet!” What a wonderful observation and reflection on our learning process.
This activity supported the children’s sensory exploration, creativity, problem-solving, and scientific thinking as they experimented, compared results, and reflected on their experiences together.
