The summer is finally upon us and I can now rejoice in the luxury of two restful months off work. In theory, that is. Granted the kids are older and more independent than ever, it never ceases to amaze me how three simple words can still irritate me to no end: "Mom, I'm bored!" Luckily, my son has made friends with many of the neighbourhood boys and they are constantly playing together and running around outside. My daughter, however, isn't as fortunate. There is only one girl her age on our street with whom she enjoys playing but she travels a lot with her family, especially during the summer, leaving my daughter to own devices. Quite literally. She would spend the whole day watching YouTube videos or playing video games if we let her. 

Instead, we encourage her love of arts and crafts, especially given her creative flair. Drawing and dancing are her forte, and she has a growing collection of paints and brushes, and yet, what does she keep begging me to make? Slime. She is forever obsessed with SLIME! In the past, we've tried a couple of different recipes, despite my better judgement, and the outcome would rarely be pretty. But then, as if the slime gods had been watching over us, we received a kid-friendly slime kit from Elmer's to test out and suddenly my fear of messy disasters was appeased. 

Inside the kit, we found a 4 fl oz bottle of Elmer's White School Glue, a small jar of baking soda and a dropper bottle filled with blue food colouring. According to the Elmer's recipe for coloured slime, the fourth and final ingredient was contact lens solution, which I know many people already have lying around at home. I probably could have asked my friend for the mere tablespoon of lens solution required for the slime recipe but I knew this would the first of many slimey concoctions so I went out to the pharmacy and bought a small bottle. 

After pouring the entire bottle of Elmer's White School Glue, we added half a tablespoon of baking soda and mixed them together. Then we added several drops of food colouring, followed by a tablespoon of contact lens solution. We mixed all the ingredients together until it all started to stick together and became harder to mix. We removed the slime from the bowl and began to knead until it didn't feel sticky. Overall, it was super easy to make and the instructions were very straightforward. I was amazed to see the transformation of the glue and baking soda when mixed with the lens solution. It was like magic! 

If you would like to try making slime with your kids, check out Elmer's Recipe for Colored Slime. I also recommend you bookmark their Elmer's slime page for additional recipes, videos and handy tips and tricks. Keep in mind that, depending on the food colouring you use, you may notice that it may stain your hands. While we were able to wash it off afterwards, you may want to consider using gloves when kneading. Also, pull out some old newspapers to protect your tabletop while making and playing with your slime. And please be sure to read their disclaimer:

*Adult supervision is required; This project is not appropriate for children under the age of 3 years. Always wash your hands before and after making and playing with slime. Warning: If large quantities of contact lens solution are accidentally ingested (greater than a tablespoon), get medical attention immediately.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Elmer's Kid-Friendly Slime campaign and have received special perks. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.