Slime like you have never seen it before! We love to use slime to complement our science activities because of course slime is AMAZING science all on its own. This time, for a little summer science bonus, we made ultraviolet slime with UV color changing beads as a fun mix-in to our basic homemade slime recipe. Check out sun activated slime that’s easy peasy to make.
EASY ULTRAVIOLET SLIME RECIPE WITH COLOR CHANGING UV BEADS!
Making homemade slime is an awesome screen free activity any time of the year, but we added the perfect summer twist to our favorite basic slime recipe.
Kids are obsessed with making AMAZING slime recipes, but did you know just how educational slime can be. Make sure you take the time to read the science behind the slime too.
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ALSO CHECK OUT: Crazy Cool Magnetic Slime
We added an extra science twist with these sun activated, UV color changing beads! If stored properly, you can use your ultraviolet slime all summer long to test the strength of the sun’s rays even on cloudy days!
SUMMER SLIME WITH UV COLOR CHANGING BEADS
When I opened the package of UV color changing beads, we immediately had to get them outdoors to test them out. We definitely weren’t disappointed. They turned all of these colors almost immediately and continued to darken. It was a bright, bright day.
Upon bringing the beads back inside, they slowly returned to their original color while we got out our favorite slime making supplies. Check out how we make this slime below with our popular saline solution slime recipe.
COLOR CHANGING ULTRAVIOLET SLIME RECIPE
I always recommend that you read through our FAVORITE SLIME SUPPLIES list as well as our trouble shooting guide if you need additional help. Read the recipe carefully, measure, and mix! It’s super easy to make slime with our PROVEN recipe!
At the bottom of this page you can read about the science behind the slime and check out more resources for making the most AMAZING slime recipes out there with your kids.
UV SLIME SUPPLIES NEEDED
Clear Elmer’s Washable PVA School Glue
Saline Solution (MUST contain boric acid and sodium borate)
Water
Baking Soda
UV Color Changing Beads (see Amazon links below too)
Bowl, Spoon, Measuring Cups, Storage Container
SLIME RECIPE: Find the saline solution recipe below, but you can also try this with our liquid starch or borax slime recipes. Click here to see all of our 4 BASIC SLIME RECIPES (the ones we use as a base for all our cool themes)!
AMAZING photochromic slime with sun activated, color changing beads.
ULTRAVIOLET SALINE SOLUTION SLIME RECIPE
Gather your ingredients because it’s time to make the simplest slime recipe EVER! I love how stretchy this specific slime can be, but it can also be a bit on the sticky side. You have to balance the stretchy and the sticky a bit.
Start by mixing a 1/2 cup of clear PVA glue with a 1/2 cup of water in a bowl.
Next stir in about 1/4 tsp of baking soda (this will help with the firmness of the slime). I have in the past used 1/2 tsp of baking soda but with the clear glue a little less helps the stretch.
Measure out anywhere from a 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of your UV color changing beads. More beads will make a firmer slime and less beads will preserve the stretch a bit more. Mix the beads into the mixture in your bowl.
Time for the slime activator. This is the liquid that reacts with the glue to form the slime (read more about the science below). Add up to 1/2 tbsp of your saline solution to the mixture and stir.
You will see the slime pull away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. When you feel like you have given the slime a good stir, you can knead it till perfection!
I highly suggest coating your hands with a few drops of saline solution to reduce the stickiness. Kneading in general will help with the stickiness too, so try not to keep adding more of the saline solution. The result will be a rubber like slime.
Time to take the slime outside! It would also be fun to make outside in the shade. We were super excited to watch the beads change color, so we didn’t want to chance a sneak preview!
HOMEMADE SLIME WITH COLOR CHANGING BEADS
The brightness of these UV color changing beads will depend on the strength of the ultraviolet rays available at any given time. Your ultraviolet slime will become deeper in color depending on the day.
What happens to the beads on a cloudy day vs a sunny day? Are UV rays still coming through those dark clouds. What about a runny day?
Why not chart your findings and make note of the weather for the day! You can even check the UV index and see if it corresponds with the color of your beads.
WHAT ARE ULTRAVIOLET RAYS?
This sun activated, ultraviolet slime needs some sunscreen! UV rays are invisible rays of energy that come directly from the sun. There are 3 types of rays A. B, and C. As harmful and damaging as the suns rays can be, they can also be healing.
The beads contain small amounts of a photo chromatic color changing pigment that reacts with the presence of ultraviolet rays. All you need is natural light!
I bet you can find some more cool ways to explore these UV color changing beads for ultraviolet rays awareness. Of course simple bracelets and necklaces can alert kids when the UV rays are strong! A great reminder to make sure you have used your sunscreen.
Make a batch of clear glue slime and white glue slime (using the same recipe) and see if there’s a difference!
COMING SOON! Sun activated color changing slime with photochromic pigment!
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE ULTRAVIOLET SLIME RECIPE
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 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!
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!
MAKE HOMEMADE ULTRAVIOLET SLIME FOR SUMMER FUN!
Another awesome slime recipe in the books! Speaking of books, I can’t wait to share our ULTIMATE SLIME GUIDE with you! May 23rd we get ready to launch. Make sure you are signed up for our emails to keep up to date.
Now for even more slimy resources! Get the most out of your slime making experience with all of these excellent tips, tricks, and ideas! Stay slimy!
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 more.
Check out the slime making supplies we use! Amazon affiliate commission links included for convenience.
[…] summer science or year round science if you live somewhere tropical! Recently we made a similar UV color changing slime with sun activated beads that we had a blast […]