Materials
Large bowl Recipe per child
One wooden spoon or sturdy plastic spoon per child 1/4 cup (60 ml) cornstarch5 teaspoons (25 ml) water5 teaspoons (25 ml) water
Empty plastic 1/2 lb. (225 gm) margarine tubs with lids, one per child
Instructions
1. Place cornstarch, water and food coloring into the bowl or the individual margarine tubs,and mix with a spoon until you have a thick paste. The mixture will be stiff. The children canmix with their hands if soap and water are easily available. Divide the mixture into the margarinetubs if you mixed it in one large bowl.
2. Let the children handle the mixture: poke it, roll it, let it relax into a puddle, etc.
3. The "alien slime" will stay fresh for two or three days if you keep it in an airtight container.
4. The reason for the mixture's texture is that the cornstarchdoes not dissolve in the water, but remains suspendedin the water. This gives the mixture its special"alien slime" properties.More to doMore science: Compare sugar and water to the cornstarch and water combination. How is thesugar solution different? How is it the same?Original poemSpace alien slime, it's red, blue or green,And the quiver-iest, shiver-iest stuff that you've seen.Poke it with your finger, and before you can say"Boo!" the hole has gone away.Rolled in your hand, it becomes a ball.Left in a dish, it's a puddle. That's all.Space alien slime, it's red, blue or green,And the quiver-iest, shiver-iest stuff that you've seen.
