Sick Themed Storytime

This week we read stories about being sick.  This is actually kind of a fun topic for a storytime and there are a surprising amount of great books to go along with the theme.  We read Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney and How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen.  I wanted to read A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead but we didn't have time.  I will certainly try to read that one next time I do a sick theme because it is such a great story.

I had a bit of a hard time coming up with a craft to fit with my sick theme and then it came to me!  I made awesome green slime to represent snot!  Yaaay!  It was really fun and the kids loved it.  The slime is easy to make and we already had all the ingredients.  I made two different recipes of slime because I couldn't remember which one I liked best. 

The first batch of slime I made requires:

• clear glue, glitter glue, or white glue
• liquid starch
• water
• food coloring
• 1/2 cup measuring cup
• bowl and a spoon

In the bowl mix 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of glue.  Add your food coloring at this time and give it a mix.  I added 5 or 6 drops of food coloring to mine but I wish I'd added a little more to make it a more vibrant green.  Once you've mixed the colored glue and water mixture together a bit, you can slowly add 1/2 cup of liquid starch to the mix.  Stir it with a spoon until it starts to thicken and then dig in with your hands and continue mixing.  It will feel really wet but keep mixing because it will get thicker.  

The second batch of slime I made requires:

• clear glue, glitter glue, or white glue
• Borax
• warm water
• food coloring
• 1 cup and 1/2 cup measuring cups
• teaspoon measuring spoon
• bowl and spoon

In your bowl mix 1 cup of glue and 1 cup of water and the food coloring.  (A full 8 oz bottle of glue is equal to one cup)  Next, fill up a half cup measuring cup with warm water.  To this warm water, add one teaspoon of borax and stir to help dissolve the borax a bit.  The borax won't dissolve all the way and that's fine.  Now slowly pour the borax water into the glue and water mixture and stir.  As with the other recipe, mix with the spoon for a while and then dig in with your hands.  

I made my slime with white glue because that's what we had on hand.  I think clear school glue would have  made a much more snot-like slime but this was still very gross looking!  I've found that the slime made with the starch is much more slimy and is a lot stringier.  The borax slime is much stiffer and more rubbery.  They are both awesome to play with but I could see the borax slime being slightly less messy.  My advice is to try both and see which one you prefer.  Either way, you're in for a good time!

Slime made with liquid starch 

Slime made with Borax

Slime made with Borax