Fwd: Science Sleuth Slime and Playdough Recipes

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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Diamond, Molly <Molly.Diamond@cityofpaloalto.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 16, 2017, 10:05 PM
Subject: Science Sleuth Slime and Playdough Recipes
To: rabiabajwa@gmail.com <rabiabajwa@gmail.com>, aezeeya@gmail.com <aezeeya@gmail.com>, pippa@gawley.org <pippa@gawley.org>, ponypan@gmail.com <ponypan@gmail.com>


Hello Dear Guardians of My Little Scientists and Explorers,


Some of you were asking for the slime and play dough recipes, so I'm attaching them at the bottom. 


I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and if you don't celebrate, then enjoy spending some quality time with your family on your week off. I will miss embarking on our science journey together next Wednesday, but am excited to introduce you to some of my fur and feathered friends the following week.


With Love and Warm Wishes,


Teacher Molly


Opaque Slime:


  1. Pour 1/4 C of white glue into Bowl 1.
  2. Add 1/4 C water and 5 drops of food coloring to Bowl 1.
  3. Stir the water-glue-food coloring mixture.
  4. In bowl 2, put 1 teaspoon of Borax powder.
  5. Add 1/4 C of water to Bowl 2.
  6. Stir Bowl 2 until the Borax powder is dissolved.
  7. Pour Bowl 1 (colored water/glue mixture) into Bowl 2 (dissolved Borax), SLOWLY!
  8. The slime should form a big blob right in from of your eyes.
  9. Add a sprinkle of glitter.
  10. Pick up the slime out of the bowl and use your hands to make sure it is evenly mixed.
  11. Put your slime in a baggie to save it and store it in the refrigerator at home. 

Translucent Slime:

This one looks really cool, but unfortunately I heard it melted in the fridge the next day.

  1. Measure 1/2 C of water into a cup and add 5 drops of food coloring. Add 1/4-tsp guar gum to the water slowly, while stirring. Let mixture sit for several minutes.
  2. In another cup, add 1/4-tsp sodium tetraborate (Borax) to 1 tbl. of water and stir for several minutes.
  3. 3. Slowly add 1 tsp of Borax solution to the guar gum solution. Mix together.
  4. Let stand for several minutes until it forms a gel. 

The Science:
When you mix glue with a bit of water, you make a substance that is known as a polymer (polyvinyl acetate). The borax solution (sodium tetraborate) is a "cross-linking" substance that binds the polymer chains together to make the glue solution thicker. As the polymer chains get more "bound-together," it gets harder for them to move around. 

Playdough:

Just like with bread dough, the consistency varies, so you might have to add more liquids or powders when kneading as needed. 

Scented:

  1. Mix 1/3 C cold water, 1/3 C salt, 2/3 tsp vegetable oil, and 1 tsp cinnamon or orange peel. 
  2. Gradually work 1 C flour and 2 tsp cornstarch to consistency of bread dough.
  3. Store in an airtight container to reuse. 

Colored:

  1. MIx 1/4 C water, 1/4 C salt and 1/2 Tblspn of oil in a bowl.
  2. Add 4 drops of food coloring.
  3. In another bowl, mix 3/4 C of flour and 1/2 Tblspn of cornstarch.
  4. Gradually add the flour/cornstarch mixture to the first bowl until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough.
  5. Knead the dough on the table and form into any shape you like!

The Science:
All play dough has common ingredients in them: water, flour, starch-based binders, and salt preservatives. Why is this?
  1. Water - without water, you wouldn't get the dough. You'd just have a bunch of boring old powder in your hands. The water is needed to help the wheat flour go through a chemical process to became dough. Special proteins in wheat flour called gliadin and gluten in will produce gluten when they are mixed with water. 
  2. Flour - Helps hold the clay together. 
  3. Starch-based binders - We used corn starch. Binds or holds together all the ingredients in the play dough recipe. 
  4. Slat Preservatives - Keeps play dough from getting moldy. In ancient times salt was used to preserve meats. Salt stops mold (a fungus) and bacteria from growing. Large amounts of salt are dangerous to eat. 


Molly Diamond | Science Instructor

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

(408) 835-5862 | Molly.Diamond@cityofpaloalto.org

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