Make Your Own Silly Putty Goo: Franken-Slime Project

Do you know a fun-loving kiddo who likes GAK, goo, and slime? Me too!

I’m honest, I think it’s pretty fun too. And, I LOVE how well it pairs with sensory writing.

These cups of “Franken-slime” are so much fun! I’ll forewarn you, though. My daughter nicknamed it “Farting Frankie” because you can make all sorts of fun noises with this goo, especially with the small ones. The kids loved that discovery! So…many…giggles!

Not only would these be really fun to make for a Halloween party, but you can also connect these little guys to science, writing, and reading. There are a couple of scientific connections that can be made. The goo inside is a “silly putty” like polymer made when liquid starch, glue, and food coloring undergo a chemical change. So, you could tie this project into chemical and physical changes. This silly-putty-like goo is also a non-Newtonian fluid because it has characteristics of both a liquid and solid. So, it would also tie into a unit on the states of matter.

I am really trying to focus on writing every single day. So, of course, I needed to connect this project to some writing. This activity is perfect for descriptive writing using your senses. Make sure your kids know not to taste it, though. This is definitely not edible. Yuck!

I made a graphic organizer and stationery for our writing. You don’t have to use them, but if you’d like them, you can grab them at the bottom of the post. Finally, if you want to tie in a read-aloud, I think Robot Zombie Frankenstein would be a good book to pair with this project. It is about two robots who make costumes out of shapes, including a robot zombie Frankenstein costume. You could even have your kids make a shape drawing of their own to tie in some geometry.

How to Make the Franken-Slime

Okay, let’s get down to the details of how you make these little guys. It’s really pretty easy. You’re going to need some Elmer’s glue, liquid starch (must be Sta-Flo brand), and a little green food coloring.

Pour the entire bottle of glue (5oz) into a cup or bowl. Add your food coloring to the glue (or you can mix it with the starch). Pour in a little starch at a time and mix it. You’ll need between 1/2 a cup and 3/4 of a cup, depending on the consistency you want. I’d recommend stirring in a little at a time and just watching to see when you get the consistency you want.

At some point, you’ll need to knead it. You can also mix it in a plastic bag, which I’d recommend for kids to avoid the food coloring staining their fingers, which is only an issue before it gets mixed in.

Once the goo was done, I added it to the cups I had decorated with a permanent marker and some hot-glued googly eyes. Store the goo in a plastic baggie.

If you’d like to try this activity out with your class, you can grab the writing pages below.