Stretching out the slime fad

Abstract

Over the past year, every parent, guardian, educator—or anyone who spends time around children—has no doubt heard a lot about slime, a viscous concoction made with household ingredients. Dozens of slime recipes circulate the internet. A Google search for “slime” nabs more than 117 million hits. A query on YouTube yields more than 24 million results. Scores of these videos have 10 million-plus views. Most of the slime recipes making the rounds have important ingredients in common. They normally call for white glue, the kind that children use in school to make Thanksgiving turkeys out of construction paper. Many also use a solution made with borax powder. Some call for alternatives such as contact lens solution or Tide liquid laundry detergent, which also contain borax. The substitutions come partially out of concern that children would get skin irritation from handling undiluted borax powder. Kids will add other ingredients such as