In previous blogs, we’ve talked about different kinds of play, including messy play. Messy play is a wonderful way for children to explore different textures and their senses.

There are many different materials that can be used for messy play, including gloop, slime and finger paint. These different materials provide children with different ways to explore their senses. We’ve previously talked about gloop, a particular favourite of our Tui (toddlers) and Kea (preschool) children. Another favourite of our Tui and Kea children is slime. 

Slime can be made using many different recipes and can also be bought from various stores. However, many of these contain glue or other substances that aren’t child-friendly. Our kaiako (teachers) search for different recipes that are non-toxic and taste friendly for our tamariki, trying them out to see how each one works.

One recipe that we’ve found easy to make uses psyllium husk, which can be found in the health foods section of the supermarket. The recipe below only uses one tablespoon of psyllium husk, so one bag goes a long way! Another recipe uses jelly to make stretchy melting slime similar to gloop! A similar recipe uses chia seeds to make slime. So, depending on what you have available at home, there are many interesting and fun recipes that you can use to make slime that’s safe for children to play with.

Psyllium Husk Slime recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup cold water

Food colouring

1 Tbsp Psyllium Husk 

Method:

1. Add the water and a few drops of food colouring to a large microwave-safe bowl.
2. Sprinkle Psyllium Husk onto the water and whisk together.
3. Put the mixture into the microwave for 5 minutes on high.
4. Allow to cool.
5. Have fun!

Jelly Slime recipe:

Ingredients:

½ cup warm water

1 cup cornflour

1 packet of sugar-free jelly (9 grams)

Method:

1. Mix the cornflour and the jelly powder in a large bowl.
2. Add the water to the bowl slowly while continuing to mix.
3. Place the slime onto some baking paper and knead it into a ball.
4. You can play with it immediately or wait until it dries a little and becomes a putty.
5. Have fun!

Chia Seed Slime recipe:

Ingredients:

1 + ¾ cup cold water

¼ cup Chia Seeds

Food colouring

3-4 Cups of cornflour

Method:

1. Mix Chia Seeds, water and the food colouring in a large bowl.
2. Place the bowl in the fridge overnight.
3. Add the cornflour one cup at a time until the consistency is right.
4. Store in the fridge and add a small amount of water each time you use it.
5. Have fun!