Kids love making slime – especially when it’s a really cool slime recipe.
It’s a quick and simple substance that can be made in the house and later transported all over the house while your child explores the endless possibilities of it.
If your child is a little older, slime can help promote some problem-solving skills when they are trying to figure out why their sticky blob of muck does not match the pretty picture from the recipe you got online.
Not only that, but it’s fairly easy to make slime educational – as you will see from some of our cool slime recipes.
We have searched the internet near and far to find OUR favorite unique slime recipes. Enjoy!
COOL SLIME RECIPE TYPES
QUICK NAVIGATIONEdible Slime
Science Slime
Sensory Play Slime
Themed Slime
Clay-Based Slime
Other Cool Slime
A Quick Note on Borax
There are affiliate links in this article. You can read more about this in my disclaimer.
Character Slime
(Slime types) Grinch, Jack-Jack, Mermaid, Monster High
GRINCH SLIME
This (borax-free!) Grinch slime is actually from my dear friend Libby over at Citrus & Stripes. She always has cute crafts she is doing with her kids, and this unique slime was a big hit last Christmas!
JACK JACKS INCREDIBLE SLIME
Find at Really, Are You Serious?
We loved this adorable Incredible’s slime. The little characters makes for great sensory play! Slime is stretchy and sticky, so you can be creative with it!
MERMAID SLIME
Do you see how pretty this stuff from Crayons and Cravings is?! It definitely reminds me of a mermaid. This cool slime recipe is super easy to follow, and you will have a ton of pictures along the way.
MONSTER HIGH SLIME
This cool slime recipe from Artsy Fartsy Mama is probably more appropriate for older kids (all kids are “old” when you have toddlers haha). I liked the use of sequins in this unique slime recipe.
(Slime types) Elsa’s, Unicorn, Enchanted Rose, Princess
ELSA’S FROZEN SLIME
I HAD to include this one, as we are still going through a Frozen craze at my house. With a sequel in 2019, this will be a hit for a long time. Let it gooooo…
UNICORN SLIME
Find at The Best Ideas For Kids
To be honest, I don’t totally get the hype around unicorns – but that doesn’t stop millions of little kids obsessing over them. I think glitter is what probably makes this “unicorn slime”, so feel free to use whatever color you want!
ENCHANTED ROSE SLIME
Who DOESN’T love a little Beauty and the Beast? I liked this one from Steam Powered Family because it doesn’t feel like it’s JUST for kids…so get in there! Pick up some fragrant real roses and show your child how to interact with the different textures.
PRINCESS SLIME
Find on The Best Ideas for Kids
Unique slime like this would be a great party game at your child’s next birthday. Tell them it’s themed as their favorite princess and they will love this activity.
(Slime types) Star Wars Lava, Butterbeer, Moana, Fairy
STAR WARS LAVA
Remember the scene in Star Wars where Obi-Wan and Anakin duel on Mustafar (okay, me either – but my partner does!) If your kids haven’t seen it (and are old enough) it would fun to show them this to go along with their unique slime.
BUTTERBEER SLIME
This cool slime from Steam Powered Family is made from two different types – fluffy and glitter slime put together! We think it turned out pretty neat (even more so for Harry Potter lovers!)
MOANA SLIME
Moana is actually one of my favorite Disney movies. I love how Disney is getting better at coming out with better female characters. This cool slime recipe would be a lot of fun to make while watching the movie together.
FAIRY SLIME
Find on The Best Ideas for Kids
I thought this glitter slime was really pretty. It’s less mess than some other slime recipes, as it does NOT involve food coloring (although glitter is sometimes MORE messy!)
EDIBLE SLIME RECIPES
(Slime types) Jello, Taffy, Candy, Cherry Limeade
JELLO SLIME
This is closer to what original edible slime was made like, and it’s great for younger toddlers that put everything in their mouths. Plus Jello is fun (so maybe make some normal Jello too).
EDIBLE TAFFY SLIME
This edible taffy is more unique than the majority of other edible slime recipes I have found. The ingredients are all normal food items that your kids will love!
EDIBLE CANDY SLIME
Edible slime is a GREAT option if you have smaller toddlers around. I know my three-year-old knows better than to eat slime, but the one-year-old is another story. Plus, how fun would it be to play with unique slime and then eat it!
CHERRY LIMEADE SLIME
This cool slime recipe looks good enough to eat (which you totally can!) This recipe uses drink crystals – and these can be used for a multitude of other artsy projects.
(Slime types) Floam, Chocolate, Color-Changing
EDIBLE FLOAM SLIME
This cool slime only takes four ingredients, is non-toxic, and cleans easily! This super squishy foam also smells great, so it’s definitely a unique floam recipe!
EDIBLE CHOCOLATE SLIME
Find on Preschool Powol Packet
This is another cool slime recipe that is edible too! This slime is closer to the consistency of play-doh, but it’s a great way to change up your slime routine. Also – it’s made with cocoa so your kiddos probably won’t actually want to eat it!
COLOR-CHANGING EDIBLE SILLY PUTTY
This edible silly putty actually tastes pretty good – so your kids will enjoy licking those fingers after mixing it. Jello slime does not behave like normal slime, but it’s definitely safer (and tastes better!)
COOL SCIENCE SLIME
(Slime types) Glitter Galaxy, Volcano, Beating Heart
GLITTER GALAXY SLIME
There are plenty of unique themed slime recipes out there, but this is probably one of my favorites! It really does look like a gala xy – and you could make the activity educational by talking about the stars.
ERUPTING VOLCANO SLIME
What’s more fun than slime? Volcano slime! This is a great “science” experiment you can do with your kids. Best part is – it’s gentle on sensitive skin.
BEATING HEART SLIME
I love when art and science mix, and this unique slime is no different. This cool slime recipe can mimic veins, blood, and a beating heart – so make it a cool science lesson!
MAGNETIC SLIME
Find on Growing a Jeweled Rose
No unique slime recipe list is complete without magnetic slime! You will be using some rather unusual ingredients so make sure you prepare in advance.
(Slime types) Snow & Cloud, Fizzy, Ocean, Caterpillar
INSTANT SNOW & CLOUD SLIME
Find on Little Bins for Little Hands
This is definitely one of the more unique slime recipes I have seen. You make them separately and then put them together. Add more snow if you want to change up the consistency!
FIZZY SLIME
This stuff may weird your kids out a bit–as the fizz from this unique slime is caused by a chemical reaction. It can be a fun “science experiment” for your kids to play around with.
OCEAN SLIME
Themed slime projects are great! Not only are they a lot of fun, but it’s pretty easy to throw some sort of educational message in with the activity. This ocean slime is no different.
CATERPILLAR SLIME
This borax-free slime is a great alternative for the anti-borax parents (don’t worry – I get it). This cool slime recipe would make a great addition to a lesson on the butterfly life cycle.
(Slime types) Mystery Color, Galaxy
MYSTERY COLOR SLIME
This cool slime would be a great way to help teach your child what happens when you mix two colors together. I imagine my three-year-old would make an ugly brown, as she’d want to mix ALL of the colors together.
GLOWING GALAXY SLIME
I included a couple of galaxy slime recipes in here, but I liked the different ways that they turned out.
SENSORY PLAY SLIME
(Slime types) Birthday Cake Confetti, Lavender, Gold Leaf, Geology Gemstone
BIRTHDAY CAKE CONFETTI SLIME
This cool slime is so pretty, I thought it may be edible (it’s not!) Little objects in your unique slime make for great sensory play.
LAVENDER SLIME
I included this cool slime recipe mostly because I am a sucker for Lavender. It’s soothing, calming, and a great sensory play idea!
GOLD LEAF SLIME
Find on Little Bins for Little Hands
This cool slime recipe is made with foil sheets. I don’t know about you – but that’s certainly not something my kids have played with before! It really turns out gorgeous!
GEOLOGY GEMSTONE SLIME
This unique slime turned out really pretty..I had trouble deciding whether to categorize it as a science slime, or sensory. In the end I went with sensory, but it could certainly go either way.
(Slime types) Construction, Pom-Poms, Floam
CONSTRUCTION SLIME
Find at Fantastic Fun & Learning
I loved this unique slime recipe idea! Once the slime is made, you can mix gravel in to make a “muddy” paste for the dump trucks to work in.
SLIME WITH POM-POMS
Keep in mind, you can substitute anything you want in place of the pompoms. I just love cool slime recipes like this because sensory play is so important!
HOMEMADE FLOAM
Floam is basically slime with foam balls in it. Foam balls are good to use in slime because they seem to do a pretty good job sticking, and it makes the slime feel nice and squishy!
THEMED COOL SLIME RECIPES
(Slime types) Circus, Hot Chocolate, Zebra, Rainbow
CIRCUS SLIME
This unique slime recipe is made with glue and laundry detergent. The circus colors could be used in some sort of play – but switch up the colors if you want to do something different!
HOT CHOCOLATE SLIME
Find on Fantastic Fun & Learning
IF you don’t want to load up your kiddos on sugar from REAL hot chocolate..be creative with this hot chocolate slime play. We thought it was pretty cute.
ZEBRA SLIME
Your next preschool lesson may involve some discussion about a day at the zoo. Why not make some Zebra themed cool slime to go along with it?!
RAINBOW SLIME
This unique slime is actually lots of different batches..but the end result is gorgeous and worth it! Help your child mix them together to see what happens.
CLAY-BASED SLIME
(Slime types) Butter, Play-Doh, Model Magic, Mod Podge
BUTTER SLIME
Sasha always seems to have another new cool slime recipe, and I have found we always have good results from her recipes! This butter slime is really stretchy, and it has a unique ingredient you don’t usually see in slime.
PLAY-DOH SLIME
We own a TON of Play-Doh sets in our house, so this cool slime was easy to make. I was surprised it has real Play-Doh in it. It’s a great way to mix up your slime play.
MODEL MAGIC SLIME
Have heard of model magic? It’s a clay-like material that you sculpt with. This cool slime recipe is unique because it includes model magic (which makes it a cool consistency).
MOD PODGE SLIME
This Borax-free cool slime recipe only uses four ingredients (that you probably already have!) I am starting to believe you can make slime with almost anything.
OTHER COOL SLIME RECIPES
(Slime types) Fluffy, 100% Natural, Chalkboard, Glow-In-The-Dark
FLUFFY SLIME
This fluffy slime recipe is super easy to make (and is Borax-free!) It only requires three ingredients (four with food coloring) and it turns out so pretty.
100% NATURAL GREEN SLIME
From Reuse Grow Enjoy (no Borax OR glue)
Okay, I will be the first to admit the color of this slime is a little odd. BUT–it’s completely natural! It is also edible, although it’s not going to taste very good. You can add food coloring if you want–the creator of this cool slime recipe did not so she could keep it natural.
CHALKBOARD SLIME
Find on Little Bins for Little Hands
This unique slime recipe is really neat. You are making a chalkboard out of slime (and yes, you can really use chalk on it!) Draw different shapes and watch how the patterns stretch out!
SCENTED GLOW-IN-THE-DARK SLIME
This glow-in-the-dark cool slime recipe has a secret ingredient I found to be very interesting. I have always bought glow-in-the-dark glue when I have wanted glowing slime, but turns out there is an easier alternative–and it’s something you likely have around the house!
KINETIC SAND
Okay, so this isn’t slime but it was SO cool I needed to include it. Kinetic sand is SO expensive, and this is a much cheaper alternative. Not to mention it’s easy to make!
Also – if you don’t want to make it, you can find the best kinetic sand sets here. Libby and her son love playing with kinetic sand and she’s a pro when it comes to the good brands.
***A Note About Borax
There are a few different types of recipes that families use for slime. Ones that use Borax, and ones that don’t.
Many parents are concerned about using Borax in their slime, as there have been pediatricians that have claimed this could be harmful as Borax is a chemical and should not be used as a toy.
Truth is–the amount of Borax in your kid’s slime is unlikely to cause any sort of toxicity, unless they eat a bunch of it.
The amount that could be passed transdermally is not enough to cause a toxicity either. There have been numerous pediatricians and toxicologists who have refuted the claim that Borax in slime is harmful.
Like most things in life, “facts” can be disputed and you need to do what you feel is best as a parent. If your child explores every new substance with their mouths, it may be better to stick to a formula that will be safe if your child ingests it.
Nevertheless, I included that warning because some of these recipes will include Borax.
If a recipe is not made with Borax, Liquid Starch is often used in its place. Pick up some Borax
, Liquid Starch
, and Elmer’s Glue
for your daily slime needs.
These recipes are a little more unique, and so they will probably require different or additional ingredients.
Wrapping Up Cool Slime Recipes
Overall, slime is a great way to get your child thinking out of the box.
Regardless of whether you use these cool slime recipes as a educational lesson, or just for fun – it’s a great way to spend some quality time with your kiddo.
What was your favorite unique slime recipe? Do your kids like slime or are they weirded out by it? I would love to hear your thoughts below in the comments!
**originally published 06/12/18
