This is probably the creepiest and coolest slime you will ever make. If you want to learn how to make magnetic slime, this is about as simple as it get. All you need is our traditional liquid starch slime recipe and the secret, magnetic ingredient for a very exciting science demonstration. Homemade slime is an awesome science {chemistry} and sensory play activity for kids.
HOW TO MAKE MAGNETIC SLIME WITH IRON OXIDE POWDER
SLIME AND SCIENCE
We love making homemade slime because it’s just so easy to do, and we have perfected a handful of awesome slime making recipes that anyone can make at home or in the classroom.
Now it’s time to step it up a notch and learn how to make magnetic slime! It’s truly an ultra cool slime that my son can’t get enough of playing with whenever we make it. Plus neodymium magnets are super neat to use too.
A while back we made a very simple magnet slime by adding contents of our favorite magnet kit to our regular white glue homemade slime recipe. That was super fun when my son was younger, but we were ready to step it up a notch.
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WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE SLIME MAGNETIC?
There are two very important ingredients needed to make and enjoy this super-strong magnetic slime recipe and that is iron oxide powder and a neodymium magnet.
You can also use iron filings, but we chose the powder after we did a simple search on Amazon for what we wanted. The powder we purchased, although pricey, came well packaged, and will make many batches of slime for us.
A neodymium magnet is also known as a rare earth magnet which is actually pretty different than the regular magnets you are probably accustomed too. A rare-earth magnet has a much stronger force field and is made of different materials which is why it works with the iron oxide powder or fillings over a traditional magnet. You can read a little more about these magnets here.
We tested our regular magnetic wand on this iron oxide powder slime and nothing happened! Don’t you always have to check and see for yourself! We purchased both a bar shape and cube shape neodymium magnet, but the cube shape was the most fun.
CHECK OUT OUR SLIME SUPPLIES LIST BELOW
Below you can see our cube-shaped neodymium magnet engulfed by the magnetic slime. It’s very cool how the slime will complete crawl around the magnet and bury it inside.
MAGNETIC SLIME MAKING SUPPLIES
- Black Iron Oxide Powder
- Elmer’s Washable White School Glue
- Liquid Starch
- Water
- Measuring Cups, Bowl, Spoon or Craft Sticks
- Neodymium Magnets (our favorite is the cube shape)
HOW TO MAKE MAGNETIC SLIME
Adult assistance required!
Note: This slime can be easily made ahead of time and used for many days afterward! The mixing process can get a little messy and should not be done by younger kids.
STEP 1: Pour 1/2 cup of glue into a bowl.
STEP 2: Add 1/2 cup of water to the glue and stir to combine.
STEP 3: Add a 1/2 cup of the iron oxide powder and stir to combine. This is probably best left for adults to do as the powder can get everywhere quickly.
We did not find that any of the particles flew around but I would not recommend spending to much time inhaling the open bag.
You will notice that this mixture is more grey to start out with, but the end result will be a very black and glossy color.
STEP 4: Measure out a 1/2 cup of liquid starch and add the glue/water/iron oxide powder mixture.
STEP 5: Stir! Your slime will start to come together immediately but just keep stirring.
It will begin to darken so don’t worry if it still appears gray. There will be liquid leftover from this slime in your bowl. Transfer your slime to a clean, dry container. I would suggest letting it set up for 5-10 mins.
Time to have fun and test out your magnetic slime! Grab your magnets and see what happens.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE HOMEMADE SLIME RECIPE
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 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…
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…
STORING YOUR MAGNETIC SLIME
Slime lasts 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. I love the deli-style containers I have listed in my recommended slime supplies list.
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 and labels as seen here.
We love watching the magnet get swallowed up by the slime. It never gets old.
If you want a truly intriguing science project and science recipe then you totally want to learn how to make magnetic slime with your kids. It’s a fascinating experience, and there is so much to learn.
MORE SLIME MAKING RESOURCES!
You will find everything you ever wanted to know about making homemade slime right here, and if you have questions, just ask me!
HOW TO GET SLIME OUT OF CLOTHES
21+ EASY HOMEMADE SLIME RECIPES
SCIENCE OF SLIME KIDS CAN UNDERSTAND!
THE AMAZING BENEFITS THAT COME OUT OF SLIME MAKING WITH KIDS!
LEARN HOW TO MAKE MAGNETIC SLIME WITH KIDS!
Try more fun homemade slime recipes right here. Click on the link or on the image below.
No more having to print out a WHOLE blog post for just one recipe!
Get our basic slime recipes in an easy to print format so you can knock out the activities!
—>>> FREE SLIME RECIPE CARDS
Colleen
July 17, 2017 at 12:32 amThank you so much for publishing this recipe! At my son’s request, we ordered red iron oxide powder (he thought it would look better than black). We just made our first batch of magnetic slime and it is not at all magnetic:(. I have 4 stacked neodymium magnets and nothing happens. It there something different about the black iron oxide powder? Have you tried red?
Thank you!
Colleen
July 17, 2017 at 12:41 amI got my answer! Red and black have different t chemical formulas and therefore, different magnetic properties. Must use black like your recipe states.
Any ideas for what to do with 5lbs of red iron oxide???
Yolanda Donovan
October 8, 2017 at 10:41 pmI just have a question. I really want to do this with my students but I have a concern about the black color. Does it stain? I did a project with black food color and it was a mess. Just trying to avoid a repeat. This recipe sounds too good not to try.
I appreciate your time and fun activities.
littlebins
June 12, 2018 at 11:24 pmWe did not have an issue with it staining once it was incorporated. You need to mix gently.
bhujelseason
November 28, 2017 at 8:38 pmcan we use normal magnet
littlebins
May 12, 2018 at 12:52 pmNo you can not. You need the special one!
RainbowGal1245
April 28, 2018 at 12:57 pmLove these recipes are super useful for a stall I am running where we are selling slim and putty ! Thank you for these great recipes!
– RainbowGal1245
Deborah
June 16, 2018 at 9:01 pmI would like to know how to store the slime. My friend and I just made a batch of it but I haven’t seen anywhere how to store it.
littlebins
June 17, 2018 at 5:30 pmStore in a reusable container.
Melissa
December 28, 2018 at 8:01 pmHello, i don’t live in the US so iron oxide is not wasy to come by. I can only find iron oxide used to color cosmetics. Will this work as well?
littlebins
December 29, 2018 at 8:48 amI do not believe it will have the same effect unfortunately. However, it’s worth a try for an experiment. Can you not order from Amazon?
CitrusFan
January 8, 2019 at 11:29 amThis sounds incredibly cool! But how long does this slime keep if stored properly?
littlebins
January 10, 2019 at 10:03 amWe have kept if for a couple weeks!