Simple Science and STEM for Every Day

Best Flubber Recipe for Kids

Kids love to make homemade flubber!  Our flubber is similar to our liquid starch slime recipe but it’s thicker, stretchier, and tougher. We love both slime and flubber for a for fun science lesson.  Make homemade flubber in minutes!  There are tons of tons of cool ways to play with science and STEM.

HOW TO MAKE FLUBBER WITH THIS EASY FLUBBER RECIPE!

flubber recipe

NOTE: This flubber recipe does not contain Borax powder. However, liquid starch does contain sodium borate which is part of the boron family. Please try one of our alternative recipes if you are allergic/sensitive to these ingredients. We have never experienced a skin reaction.

WHAT IS FLUBBER?

Flubber is a super thick, super stretchy, super strong slime!

flubber recipe

WHY IS FLUBBER OR SLIME CONSIDERED SCIENCE?

 Check out our BASICS OF SLIME SCIENCE  here to learn a little more!  It’s suited for young kids too.  Slime is actually great chemistry even if it just looks like a cool sensory play idea.  Slime is fascinating and the reaction between the ingredients is what makes the slime form.

Our homemade flubber recipe is super stretchy.

SLIME SAFETY NOTE:

*Safety Disclaimer: Any science experiment has potential risks including making slime. Please use your own best judgement. Please read more of our liability and safety disclaimer here*

Making slime is a chemistry experiment and a fun one too. However, like any cool science experiments, they should be done with adult supervision. Adults should measure and handle all chemicals used when making slime.

Also, slime activities should be properly cleaned up afterwards. Disinfect surfaces, mixing tools, and containers when you are finished with your slime experiment.

Wash hands thoroughly after playing with slime.

Do not switch out ingredients if not listed. Many slimes contain borax or a form of borax, even liquid starch which contains sodium borate. This is what is used to form the slime. You can’t just add anything that has borax in it!

We have never had any reactions, but you must decide what is best for your situation.

FLUBBER RECIPE

flubber recipe: Our homemade flubber slime recipe is super thick too!

FLUBBER SUPPLIES:

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  • 2 bottles Elmer’s Non Toxic Washable Glue White for a total of 1 cup
  • 1/2 Cup Water {room temperature}
  • 1/2 Cup Liquid Starch NEED AN ALTERNATIVE IDEA {click here}
  • Glitter or food coloring optional


Supplies for making flubber include Elmer's Washable School Glue, Liquid Starch, and Water!

HOW TO MAKE FLUBBER:

STEP 1:  Mix glue and water together in a container.  Stir until it is well combined and a smooth consistency.  Now is the perfect time to mix in color or glitter.

STEP 2:  Next, add  the liquid starch to the glue/water mixture. Start mixing with a spoon.

flubber recipe for kids with step by step.

STEP 3: Switch to using your hands to combine the ingredients well.  Keep mixing the flubber for a few minutes and kneading it well.

You can play with your flubber immediately or let it set up for about 15 mins or so.

Store your flubber in a container with a lid, and it should keep for several weeks unless you have many hands playing with it. When it’s done, throw it away and make a new one with one of our many HOMEMADE SLIME THEMES perfect for seasons and holiday!

Try our traditional  SLIME RECIPE and compare the results. It uses similar ingredients in different amounts. Make sure to check out sand slime too!

flubber recipe steps

This flubber recipe makes a huge pile!

Thick flubber for science and sensory play

Squeeze it, squish it, pull it, test it’s super strength.

EXTEND THE LEARNING WITH HOMEMADE FLUBBER OR SLIME!

Homemade flubber and slime is also great for building hand strength. Check out how we used both our LEGO pieces for a treasure hunt slime and mini scrabble tiles for a letter hunt slime. They both make for interesting fine motor and literacy activities!

Or how about using our flubber or slime recipe to explore emotions! You can also make slime to go along with a favorite book or to explore astronomy!

Flubber science with homemade flubber recipe that's easy to make.

We love the way homemade flubber stretches, folds, hangs, and piles up! If you want a less firm substance than try our homemade slime recipe. Did you know that you can even blow FLUBBER BUBBLES with this recipe?


 CONTENT SUBSCRIBE BAR

Flubber is quite thick and doesn’t leave a mess on the hands.   Give your flubber a theme with one of the homemade slime ideas!

MAKE FLUBBER FOR COOL SCIENCE WITH KIDS!

Want more awesome science and STEM ideas? Click on the photos below to see our best projects.

Science Experiments and STEM Activities for kids Science Engineering Technology Math Ideas

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. isabel

    Hi, is it possible to give sizes when you post, it says 2 bottles of glue and I can see they are small but can’t tell if they are 250 ml or 375 ml etc.
    Looking forward to trying the recipes.

  3. Cynthia Tormann

    I can’t get past the dirty fingernails in the first photo (how to make Flubber). Did no one notice this when posting the picture. It’s terrible!

  4. Kyrie

    I love this idea for my 5 hooligans but unfortunately we can’t get liquid starch here in England 🙁
    Do you happen to know what a good alternative for this ingredient is, that I can get in England?
    Thanks so much. Oh and I absolutely love all your ideas, as do my children! 🙂

  5. Dandi

    I love this recipe. I use it often in my class. It does fact have borax in the liquid starch though ..It is what causes the polymer reaction. I called the 800 number on the bottle just to ask. Sure enough, it has borax.. All liquid starches do.

  7. littlebins

    Did it continue to stick after it set for 5 minutes. Initially it will be sticky while mixing. Wash hands and it should be fine. Make sure you have the right measurements!

  10. littlebins

    Sorry you are offended. We are just a mom and a son having fun at home. Hope you don’t spend to much time during the day trying to keep your kids clean.

  11. Jan Ferré

    This sounds fun – I just haven’t the faintest idea what the ingredients are! Can you describe the ingredients, so I might be able to find similar products in our local stores (in Denmark).

    Merry Christmas

    Jan

  12. Ericha

    I tried making using this recipe and the chemical reaction never happened. It was just a gluey mess. Can you tell me what might have happened???

  13. littlebins

    Hi! Well let’s see… Did you use Elmers Washable Glue? Did you mix glue with water first? How’s your liquid starch? Old? Did you give it a little shake to mix? Let me know and we can go from there.

  14. littlebins

    Hi,
    Liquid starch is a laundry detergent product or can be found in major craft stores. Elmer’s washable glue is a specific brand of glue that works well. Hope that helps. Take a look on Amazon for both products.

  15. Madeleine

    How can you have any fun if your clean? 😉 I love the picture! It’s real 🙂 this world needs more real pics in it 🙂 good for you Mama!

  16. littlebins

    Thanks! I always know I am going to tack some flack for it. He’s 5 and he was actually still enough to get a photo!

  20. littlebins

    Did you use Elmer’s washable school glue and liquid starch? If you grabbed the wrong glue it won’t work. 2 parts glue to one part liquid starch. Let me! Email me at [email protected] if you need more help.

  21. Erin Draper

    Do you know how much flubber this recipe will yield? Planning on making in my daughters class and need an idea how many batches we would need to make so each child could take some home. Thanks

  22. Alice

    seriously?? I raised 3 happy, healthy boys-the last one was a preemie, now 18 and 190 lbs!! my hands were always dirty and so were they-its called, bath time-read book-go nite nite-happy kids

  24. Marina

    borax/boron in Danish, or boric acid is the powder form (of the active ingredient you need to make the reaction happen) and you need only a tsp full or so with warm water to get the same reaction if you can not find liquid starch like here in the US> good luck! it’s really fun to play with. 🙂
    google a recipe with borax/boron if you can find that ingredient in Denmark. the glue is like a type of wood glue, we call it “kouelym” (in South Africa), it is just a washable version of wood glue. they have clear or solid white ones here in the USA.

  25. Marina

    just a thought, i always drain a bit of the liquid off and end up with a pretty great consistency at the end. it’s stringy at first, but then become quite gooey like slime in the store. so hard to mess it up i think. even when you put the ingredients in backwards like i’ve done more than once… it still works out! 🙂 i love the big glitter you put in littlebins. really makes it look so amazing. i used it for valentines with some red glitter and googley eyes for “I only have EYES for you” in a little 2 oz condiment container for all the kids in school.

  26. Robyn

    you can google how to make liquid starch and it’s simply made with cornstarch and water so you don’t have to buy the other stuff.

  27. littlebins

    I am surprised. I have not had that happen. More glue? But I am not sure that will work. What typeof climate are you in?

  34. Jessica

    The fabric washing liquid from aldi works well and smells great.. Blue almat gel from Aldi

  38. Cindy

    Wow..rude! Obviously they were having fun and being creative..which obviously dirties your hands a bit..troll!

  39. littlebins

    It happens. Sometimes people forget that the people behind many of these blogs are just ordinary tired moms with high energy kids!

  40. karen

    Mine seperated after a few hours. It started out great but changed. The tub we kept it in was very watery, like the water seperated from the glue. It ended up being water and soft rubbery glue, not slime anymore. What did I do wrong? I think alot of people are using liquid starch like in starch mixed with water and not the detergent type liquid amd that is why it doesnt turn into slime.

  42. Susan brookes

    I followed the directions exactly and it’s a watery mess. My kids were disappointed! I even tried adding more corn starch……

  43. littlebins

    Hi for some reason I can’t see your whole comment. However, it looks like you are using corn starch instead of liquid starch? Please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I can try to help you out!

  45. Joanne Schmidt

    It’s difficult to find gallons of glue, I underestimated for my 6 classes after ordering online,and would like to try making my own glu. Does that work?

  48. littlebins

    No in general homemade glue does not work and you should definitely not substitute other glues as the chemical reaction is unknown. I buy gallons of this glue off Amazon!

  49. littlebins

    Well you don’t want to use corn starch in place of liquid starch for this recipe.

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