This fall we created an idea for a spider web slime since my son is interested in checking out spiderwebs whenever we are out for a walk. I love the way morning dew really highlights the beauty of spiderwebs. Though spiders are a bit frightening to me, they are an important part of our environment. Our homemade spider web slime is awesome fall and Halloween science, or it’s perfect anytime if you have a kid fascinated by spiders! Countdown to Halloween with spider slime!

HOMEMADE SPIDER WEB SLIME FOR KIDS

I recently gathered up all our favorite fall slimes {there are quite a few now}, and I realized I had forgotten about this fun spider web slime idea we had done together. Slime is a really fun activity because it incorporates so many neat things like tactile sensory play and science.

READ ABOUT: The Science Behind Homemade Slime

We make our slimes with either clear glue or white glue and then add all sorts of themes for holidays, seasons, favorite characters, and whatever else looks good! Therefore, we have a whole year of themed slimes to try. Since our recipe is easy, your slime will be awesome. Click on the black box below to get started with our homemade slime recipe.

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For this particular spider web slime, we simply added plastic spiders and our imagination. This would be terrific paired with a book about spiders or you could go on an outdoor spider web hunt.

SLIME SCIENCE AND CHEMISTRY

We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here, and that’s perfect for exploring Chemistry with a fun fall theme. 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 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!

STORING YOUR SLIME

Slime lasts quite awhile! 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 in my recommended slime supplies list here.

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 as seen here.

Want to have all our basic recipes handy and in one place? Use the button just below to download your free slime recipes cheat sheet pages. We also have an awesome MASTER YOUR SLIME training series going on here.

MORE SLIME MAKING RESOURCES!

Everything you need to know about making slime is below! Did you know we also have fun with science activities too? Click on all the pictures below to learn even more great ideas for slime making.

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READER QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

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THE AMAZING BENEFITS THAT COME OUT OF SLIME MAKING WITH KIDS!

Slime is an awesome tactile experience which is why we love to make it so often. Most of all, it’s just plain fun to make.