How do you make glow in the dark slime? This week we tackled this slime making challenge to bring you a cool glow slime recipe kids will love. We used our super easy saline solution recipe and added a glow powder for some super glowing slime that doesn’t even need a black light. Making slime is an awesome activity for kids!
Glowing Slime
If you have been wanting to make DIY glow in the dark slime, now’s the perfect time because we have the perfect glowing slime recipe to share with you. You do need a special powder to add to your slime recipe, but you don’t need a black light!
This slime just needs to charge in the sun for a bit! I will tell you that we tried glow in the dark paint from the craft store, and while it worked a little bit, we definitely didn’t get the cool glow like we did from using the powder.
TIP: If you are going to make and take your slime into a dark room, I highly suggest keeping it on a tray to avoid getting it on furniture, bedding, or rugs!
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 glow in the dark 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 number one saline solution slime recipe. This is our #1 most viewed slime recipe, and we love it. 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 glowing 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
How Does Slime Work
We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! Slime is 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 slime science all about? 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…
You add the borate ions to the mixture, and it then 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 rubbery 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! Experiment with making the slime more or less viscous with varying amounts of foam beads. Can you change the density?
Did you know that slime aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)?
It does and you can use slime making to explore states of matter and its interactions. Find out more below…
What Makes Slime Glow In The Dark?
The glow in the powder is from phosphorescent crystals. This powder absorbs light and then gives off the lovely glow over a length of time (before needing to be recharged). This glow occurs when electrons absorb energy from light, so make sure to find a sunny place.
When you play with your glow in the dark slime is a dark place, these same electrons produce a glow which is energy in the form of light we can see. There isn’t a chemical reaction that occurs except for the slime making process.
You might also like our color changing sun activated slime recipe!
Glow In The Dark Slime Recipe
This glowing slime uses just three ingredients which are saline solution, baking soda, and clear glue. Now if you don’t want to use saline solution, you can absolutely test out one of our other basic slime recipes using liquid starch or borax powder.
Glow In The Dark Slime Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Clear Washable PVA School Glue
- Saline Solution (must contain sodium borate and boric acid as ingredients)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon glow powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
How To Make Glow In The Dark Slime
STEP 1. Add 1/2 cup of clear washable PVA school glue to a bowl.
STEP 2. Add 1/2 cup of water to the glue and mix well.
STEP 3. Stir in the baking soda (adds firmness to the slime).
STEP 4. Add the glow powder and mix well.
STEP 5. Next add 1 tablespoon of saline solution (slime activator) and stir the slime well until it pulls away easily from sides and bottom of bowl!
If your slime is still too sticky, add a few more drops of saline solution.
STEP 6: Knead the slime for a few minutes until it becomes very stretchy.
TIP: Once you have thoroughly mixed slime with a spoon, sprinkle a few drops of saline solution on your hands. Now you can easily knead your glowing slime either in the bowl or out of the bowl for a few minutes. It will be very stretchy!
Slime can get messy! Click here for how to get slime out of clothes.
How To Store Slime
Slime can last quite a while! I get a lot of questions regarding how I store my slime. We use reusable containers in either plastic or glass. Make sure to keep your slime clean and it will last for several weeks.
If you want to send kids home with a bit of slime from a camp, party, or classroom project, I would suggest packages of reusable containers from the dollar store or grocery store or even Amazon. For large groups we have used condiment containers.
More Fun Glow In The Dark Ideas
Have leftover pigment? Here are some more fun and easy ways to use it.
- Glow In The Dark Playdough
- Glow In The Dark Bath Paint
- Glow In The Dark Moon Craft
- Glowing Jellyfish Craft
More Fun Slime Recipes To Try
If your kids love playing with slime, why not try more favorite slime ideas…
- Fluffy Slime
- Cloud Slime
- Clear Slime
- Glitter Slime
- Galaxy Slime
- 2 Ingredient Slime
- Scented Slime
- Butter Slime
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!
Can I make a double or triple batch at once or does it work better to do one batch at a time?
I have made double batches and it works great! Just remember to calculate all the ingredients!
I would love to do this for our VBS! How many batches would you recommend per 5 kids?
1 batch per 5 kids will give them all just enough to fill a condiment size container.
Would we need to alter the ingredients if we add glitter or googly eyes for Halloween slime for a classroom activity?
Googly eyes would be fun! I am not 100% sure if the glitter would affect the glow in the dark quality though. Make it an experiment and test two batches!
Will the glow in the dark still work if I use regular Elmer’s glue?
It’s much better with the clear glue but will still glow a bit.