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 our slime recipe below for how to make pumpkin slime quickly and easily. Stop at the grocery store for the ingredients and you have a great Fall STEM activity for your kiddos to enjoy!
Make Slime For Fall Science
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 classic homemade slime recipes!
We have had fun with erupting Pumpkin volcano, Pumpkin geoboard and many more fun pumpkin activities. BUT we haven’t made pumpkin slime! Till now!
Here, I have used my favorite slime recipe! Liquid starch slime is quick and easy to make, and we have found so many fun themes to add with it. Trust me, it’s easy!
Basic Slime Recipes
Our easy, “how to make” slime recipes show you how to master slime in 5 minutes or less! We have spent years tinkering with our favorite basic slime recipes to make sure you can make the BEST slime every time!
We believe slime shouldn’t be disappointing or frustrating! That’s why we want to take the guesswork out of making slime!
- Discover the best slime ingredients and get the right slime supplies the first time!
- Make easy slime recipes that really work!
- Achieve awesome slimy consistency the kids’ love!
Which Slime Recipe To Use?
We have several basic slime recipes that can all be used for this fruity scented slime recipe. You decide which one works best for you depending on what slime activator you want to use. This allows for some flexibility depending on where you live in the world! Not everyone has access to the same ingredients!
Each of the basic slime recipes below have the full step by step photos, directions, and even videos to help you along the way!
In the recipe below, we used our Liquid Starch Slime Recipe. Awesome stretchy slime in no time is my motto!
Helpful Slime Making Resources To Get Your Started
These are the best resources to look through before, during, and after making your awesome pumpkin slime! We talk more about slime science below too.
- Slime Activator List
- What is slime?
- What You Need To Make Slime
- Amazing Benefits Of Playing With Slime
- Best Slime Ideas
- How To Make Slime Less Sticky
- How To Get Slime Out Of Clothes And Hair
The Science Of Pumpkin Slime
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 form 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 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!
Read more about slime science here!
Get started with this FREE printable fall slime recipe challenge!
Pumpkin Slime Recipe
TIP: Turn into a Halloween activity for kids. For even more fun why not carve a face in the pumpkin!
** For a taste safe alternative to our liquid starch slime recipe below that is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, check out our pumpkin oobleck recipe.
Supplies:
- Small baking Pumpkin
- 1/4 Cup Liquid Starch {laundry detergent aisle}
- 1/2 Cup Clear PVA Washable School Glue
- 1/2 Cup Water
- Measuring cup, spoon, and knife {adults only!}
How To 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 Washable School Glue in a separate bowl. {You can use white but you won’t see as much of the pumpkin}. Stir to fully incorporate.
Step 4: Measure a 1/4 cup of liquid starch and pour directly into the pumpkin.
Step 5: Pour the 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.
SLIME MAKING TIP: We always recommend kneading your slime well after mixing. Kneading the slime really helps to improve it’s consistency. The trick with liquid starch slime is to put a few drops of the liquid starch onto your hands before picking up the slime.
You can knead the slime in the bowl before you pick it up as well. This slime is stretchy but can be stickier. However, keep in mind that although adding more liquid starch reduces the stickiness, it will eventually create a stiffer slime.
Below is the immediate reaction of the glue and starch! It doesn’t take long to make slime!
Enjoy playing with your pumpkin slime! Wash hands thoroughly when you finished playing with your homemade slime recipe. Also make sure to wipe down surfaces thoroughly.
How Long Will Slime Last?
I have not tested the length of time this slime will last. My homemade slime recipes 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. You can always clean the pumpkin out and then use it for a pumpkin volcano the next day!
What To Do With The Insides Of The Pumpkin?
This is a great opportunity to engage the 5 senses and talk about the parts of the pumpkin too. With some of the leftovers, why not set up a pumpkin investigation tray for an easy science activity.
Tip over your pumpkin and watch the slime ooze out! Make a pumpkin squish bag for mess free play.
Pair it with our printable life cycle of a pumpkin and parts of a pumpkin worksheets.
This is 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 Art & Craft Activities
Click on each image below to enjoy pumpkin art and craft projects this season. Each pumpkin activity includes a free printable too!
- Try mess-free pumpkin painting in a bag.
- Make pumpkin bubble wrap prints.
- Create texture art with yarn wrapped pumpkins.
- Explore black glue art and pumpkins.
- Make pumpkin dot art.
- Create 3D paper pumpkins.
- Explore mindful art with our printable zentangle pumpkins.
Explore More Fall Science
Click on the images below for more Fall theme science activities.
Grab the Ultimate Slime Recipe Bundle
All the best homemade slime recipes in one place with plenty of fantastic extras!
What’s Included:
- The Ultimate Slime Guide contains all the specialty recipes you or your kids want to make! You’ll find all the best tips, tricks, hints, and slime-y info in almost 100 pages!
- The Ultimate Slime Holiday Guide covers all the best holidays and seasons with special themes and slime-y projects!
- The Ultimate Borax-FREE and Taste-Safe Slime Guide shows you how to make all the best borax-free, taste-safe, and non-toxic slimes kids love, such as marshmallow slime. These recipes do not use chemical activators such as saline solution, liquid starch, or borax powder, making them truly borax-free.
- The Ultimate Slime Coloring Book is an easy-to-print coloring book kids will love! Color and design your favorite slimes!
- The Slime Starter Guide is a fact-filled information guide with everything you need to know to make the best slime ever!
- Slime Science Project Pack helps you turn slime-making into a science lesson!
This looks like so much fun! We will have to give it a try one year:)
Do you believe we STILL haven’t tried a slime recipe? This is so cool!
Now, that looks amazing. Pining. 🙂
Get going then!
Thanks! If you still have a pumpkin hanging around why not!
We are going to try it this year
How many pumpkins will one bottle of the 5oz glue make?! I am wanting to do this for my kids at the Library!
I would get the tiny pumpkins then and you could probably do 3 per bottle. I have not had to divide slime, but I would opt for the small gourd like pumpkins over a baking pumpkin.
Thank you for putting this together and including all of the helpful pictures. I am going to work on this as a project with some of my English language learners and have them make a “how to” video as a project, using your instructions as a guide. Plus, I can help them learn how to cite sources by crediting your blog! Thanks again!
Will non aerosel liquid starch work or is it too diluted?
No it will not. Make sure to get the liquid starch bottle.
Could you give me specific amounts of the ingredients? How much water? Glue? Liquid starch? I would love to do this with my first graders and want to make sure I have what I need!
I have looked high and low for liquid starch…..any recommendations as to where to buy it?
We buy it in the grocery store in the laundry aisle. You can also buy from Amazon or other big box stores.
I tried this and it didn’t work
Hi feel free to email me for quick help! [email protected]
Just made this slime!
It is really awesome.
Just a bit of a hint, if it is still to sticky keep adding little bits of the liquid starch to get it to the right consistency.
Thank you for sharing this awesome slime!
I am doing this pumkin SL me in my granddaughter class tomorrow. We experimented last night on a.large.pumkin per the teachers request but the slime turned out soupy. Any suggestions?
Feel free to email me [email protected]
The pumpkin may have been too big, but I can go over all the details with you!
You mentioned in one of the comments to try with the mini pumpkins. Do you think this would be the best way to go if I am trying this with a whole class of kids? Do those mini pumpkins have enough stuff in them to actually do something like this? I guess I’ve never really opened one of those up 🙂
There’s not a lot of stuff in them but you can still easily make slime in them if that helps! The texture will just be less pumpkiny but still a lot of fun.
My second grader LOVED this little project as part of our Pumpkin unit study. Thank you