You don't need to source numerous materials and follow complicated directions to make my 5 Easy Slime Recipes! I believe strongly as both a parent and early childhood educator that children should be offered access regularly to sensory play opportunitiesfrom a young age and fun with slime is an excellent example! Sensory play obviously doesn't alwaysneed to include messy play but it's certainly a bonus and can help with sensory processing as they grow – along with many other important learning and developmental outcomes. But isn't slime too dangerous for baby and toddler? This recipe is made without glue/borax/ enter crazy ingredient here or any of those other strange ideas I’ve been reading about online. Add balls of different sizes to the slime tray or tub for rolling and making patterns with. Add spoons to turn into a scooping game. If you want to create different colours for your sago slime separate into a few smaller bowls now and sprinkle a little edicol dye into each bowl. Mix well – this is a wonderful colour mixing and naming activity for the children to take part in so try and involve them in the preparation process if you can. If you would prefer not to add colour it will make no difference whatsoever – the real learning outcome of this activity is the opportunity for sensory exploration. Simply spread out on a table and invite those little fingers to get busy squelching, pouring, fingerpainting, cooking, drawing patterns and so much more.

Leave for 30 minutes (often you only need 10 but it will be a little slimier if you wait longer!) . At first the mixture will look like a soft ball of play dough. This is fun on its own, as you can turn it into any shape you want. Much like my DIY Soap Play Dough Bars. To say that I’m a little late to the DIY Slime party is quite the understatement. But here it is: my recipe for DIY Slime with Bubble Bath!PLEASE NOTE : Although I define these recipes as safe for use around young children there is always still a need for common sense and close supervision when offering these type of experiences to younger children – some are obviously better suited to toddlers who aren't at the mouthing stage but you know the developmental stages and capacities of your children the best so please modify according to individual needs. I created this slime recipe after using the sago as a safe sensory alternative to water beads with younger children (Water beads are quite the choking hazard!) With the addition of a little cellmix it turned into a wonderful bumpy, mouldable slime. Cut up different sized and coloured kitchen sponges and scourers and encourage children to squish, create patterns and paint with the slime. If you have children who don't like messy hands just clip a peg to the sponges so they aren't touching the slime yet. It is a wonderful sensory experience and I dare you not to want to put your own hands in there too – a lovely stress buster for anxious children (or stressed educators!) It also smells beautiful. Because it is soap based do watch the possibility of getting in the eyes. Speaking from my own experiences using this over the years I have never had a child complain about it hurting their eyes but I know some may find it stings like any soap in the eye can. 2. Squishy Foamy Slime

Pour into a few different trays placed on the grass and help older babies and toddlers walk through the slime or go stomping in slimy puddles! Add scissors for 3 years up and watch as they try to cut through the stretchy slime to make smaller pieces. Provide blunt butter knives as another way to strengthen and explore cutting skills.

The recipe I’m sharing here is based on my DIY 2-ingredient Bubble Bars. The point of these homemade bubble bars is to add just enough flour or corn starch to turn the mixture into a firm dough. Provide a basket of plastic cups, jugs and spoons for children to fill with frothy concoctions. I have set up a ‘coffee shop' dramatic play area outdoors before(for 2 years up) using this frothy slime. Add dolls and dolly clothes along with a tub of water and use the soap slime to shampoo dolly's hair and wash clothes. Make sure to rinse and provide pegs and a low line so they can hang up their washing to dry. The ingredients above make the amount of slime you see in the red slime picture below . I made a few extra batches after the first trial run. I’d caution against trying to double the recipe as even this small amount easily bubbles over the bowl when making it in the microwave – worth taking a little extra time to make batches separately. Sprinkle the powder across top of water and whisk or stir for around 2 minutes (the kids love doing this part so hand out those whisks!)

You really don't need precise measurements for this one – I don't think I have ever measured the powder out, it's all about trial and error and how much you want to make. But you can start with these measurements and modify from there for a large tub. Add a bowl of plastic syringes or eyedroppers for older children to practice drawing up the slime then squirting it out.

1. Soapy Slippery Slime

Carefully pour onto a tray or board to cool down. Mine seemed to firm up a little as well after resting . It will be very hot so please be careful transferring from bowl.