Pumpkin slime in a pumpkin made from pumpkin guts! I wish I had done this sooner. At the first hint of the Fall season this pumpkin slime has been top on my list, and we have been just waiting for pumpkins to come out in stores! Check out how to make pumpkin slime quickly and easily. A pumpkin volcano is also a hit too! Stop at the grocery store for the ingredients and you have a great Fall science and sensory play activity to keep you busy!

MAKE PUMPKIN SLIME WITH A REAL PUMPKIN!

Finally I decided it was time to make this pumpkin slime. We have made pumpkin volcanos, an erupting jack o’lantern, a pumpkin geo board, a pumpkin fairy house, and many more pumpkin ideas BUT we haven’t made pumpkin slime! Till now!

This little pumpkin has been patiently sitting and waiting as well as my son who loves to make slime. Make pumpkin slime in 5 minutes or less with any of our three classic homemade slime recipes!

NEW! We have an awesome pumpkin slime making video for you. Watch how we make this exact slime in a real pumpkin using our liquid slime starch recipe. If you need more cool slime videos click here. Otherwise watch below!

MAKE PUMPKIN SLIME FOR SCIENCE!

We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here. Slime really does make for an excellent chemistry demonstration and kids love it too! Mixtures, substances, polymers, cross linking, states of matter, elasticity, and viscosity are just a few of the science concepts that can be explored with homemade slime!

What’s the science behind the slime? The borate ions in the slime activators  (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl-acetate) glue and forms this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross linking!

The glue is a polymer and is made up of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules with flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until…

When you add the borate ions to the mixture, it starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubberier like slime! Slime is a polymer.

Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!

Is slime a liquid or solid? We call it a Non-newtonian fluid because it’s a little bit of both!

SLIME FOR NGSS: Did you know that slime aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards? It does and you can use slime making to explore states of matter and its interactions. Check out NGSS 2-PS1-1 for more information!

Read more about slime science here!

REAL PUMPKIN SLIME MAKING SUPPLIES: 

Small baking Pumpkin

Liquid Starch {laundry detergent aisle}

Clear Elmers Washable School Glue

Water

Measurers, spoon, and knife {adults only!}

**For those looking who need a taste safe idea for a similar pumpkin science and sensory play idea, check out my pumpkin oobleck. Learn about non-newtonian fluid with simple kitchen ingredients. Taste safe!**

Grab Your FREE Slime Recipes Cheat Sheets

LET’S MAKE PUMPKIN SLIME

As always, I used my favorite best ever slime recipe. Our homemade liquid starch slime recipe is quick and easy and we have found so many fun themes to add with it. Trust me it’s easy. Usually I would send you to the recipe post, but this is just a bit different. Do check it out though as it has unique ideas for slime all year long.

MAKE PUMPKIN SLIME

Step 1: Cut the top off the pumpkin

Step 2: Make room in the pumpkin by loosing up all the seeds and guts. I did take some out to make room but the whole idea is to incorporate the parts of the pumpkin into the slime.

Step 3: Mix 1/2 cup room temp water with 1/2 cup of clear Elmers Washable School Glue {other brands of glue do not work well. You can use white but you won’t see as much of the pumpkin}. Stir to fully incorporate.

Step 4: Measure a 1/2 cup of liquid starch and pour directly into pumpkin.

Step 5: Pour glue and water mixture into pumpkin.

Step 6: Get your hands in there and mix. The image below shows all the ingredients in the pumpkin.

 Enjoy your pumpkin slime! Wash hands thoroughly when you finished playing with your homemade slime recipe. Also make sure to wipe down surfaces thoroughly.

I have not tested the length of time this slime will last. My ordinary slime recipes {black box below} can last over 4 weeks if placed in a plastic storage container with lid.

I am sure this slime will last a few days but will probably not be something you want to keep for very long anyway. You can always clean it out and use it for a pumpkin volcano the next day!

Below is the immediate reaction of the glue and starch! It doesn’t take long to make slime!

This is a great time to engage the senses and talk about the parts of the pumpkin too. With some of the leftovers set up a pumpkin investigation tray for easy kids science activities.

Very stretchy  and catches the sunlight beautifully. You can really see the insides of the pumpkin.

Tip over your pumpkin and watch the slime ooze out! Make a pumpkin squish bag for mess free play.

This was fabulous Fall sensory and science fun. I wish I had made this pumpkin slime sooner. Still plenty of Fall season left to try your own. Everyone loves slime even the adults because most of all it is super fun to make and play with.

PUMPKIN SLIME IS A MUST TRY FOR THE FALL SEASON!

Click on the pictures below for more fun with pumpkins and fall STEM activities.

Pair you pumpkin science activities with classic pumpkin themed books for fall science and STEM