There’s even an edible recipe on our list!

It wiggles, jiggles, and entertains your kiddos endlessly. It’s slime—and your child can’t get enough of this ooey, gooey sensory material. From the basic building blocks and rad recipes to awesome explorations that glow, puff, fluff, and more, check out the slime videos for kids that your science-loving littles will watch constantly.

Super-Easy Slime

Is this your first time making slime? Don’t stress over the recipe. You don’t have to figure out ratios of ingredients or mixing times by yourself. Check out this easy peasy slime video tutorial from Courtney Wohl—for beginners!

Basic Slime with Add-Ins

WhatsUpMoms brings you a Borax-free slime recipe that you can add almost anything into. This slime seriously stretches and is completely easy to customize.

Giant Slime

Mary and Izzy of Life with Brothers have more glue than you could imagine. Watch and see what happens when these two creative kids mix every bottle and jug they have in arm’s reach.

Non-Toxic Slime

While your kiddos can’t eat this ooey-gooey recipe, it is safer to play with. Crazy Kool’s video recipe details the entire process, including the not-so-toxic materials you’ll need.

More Borax-Free Slime

If you don’t feel comfortable adding this cleaning product to your slime recipe, check out this pantry pick-packed option!

Mystery Wheel of Slime

Yes, this video is exactly what the name sounds like. EvanTube HD’s mystery wheel of slime challenge shows what happens when you add random ingredients to a favorite slime recipe. Along with plenty of glitter glue, this duo also mixes in cereal, popcorn, and more.

Make Slime in the Microwave

AmazingStuff’s microwave slime uses kitchen-friendly picks. This recipe is ideal for sensory explorations or concerns about slime safety.

Fluffy Slime

Gillian Bower’s Borax-packed slime is like a dreamy little cloud. This video can help you to make fluffy, puffy slime in a rainbow of colors. You can also learn how to make a textured fluffy slime that feels as amazingly awesome as it looks.

Glow-in-the-Dark Slime

Mister C from Learning Science Is Fun gives a detailed description of how to make glowing slime! This Borax recipe is an awesome exploration for older kids and tweens.

More Glowing Slime

Gross Science’s glow paint slime video can help older kids learn more about the science behind this type of rad recipe.

Let SIRI Pick the Slime

Karina and Ronald of Sis vs Bro let SIRI pick the ingredients for their latest batch of slime. While you might not want to dry the exact recipe in the clip, the SIRI challenge will give your kiddos the giggles!

Glitter Slime

 

Melissa Swigart’s glitter slime recipe can help you whip up batches of shining fun—and you’ll only need to use three ingredients. To find out what the big three mix-ins are, check out the YouTube tutorial.

The Wrong Milk

Is it milk or glue? This hilarious challenge from Life with Brothers gives Mary and Izzy choices that may, or may not, make their slime recipes better.

Unicorn Slime

Your littles are into everything unicorn. Don’t let the rainbow-filled fun stop now. Amy Locurto’s rainbow unicorn slime is everything your kids could imagine and so much more.

Blindfolded Slime Challenge

What would happen if your kiddos tried to mix a batch of slime blindfolded? In this hilarious clip, you’ll get an answer. 

 

If you’re looking for a snowflake science experiment, you’ve come to the right place

Whether your sidekick playfully carves out angels in the snow or sits at the window longing for some of that white stuff to actually fall, she’s all about the frosty flakes. And while play is her main motivation, she’s got serious questions about this wonderful winter phenomenon. Like, how do snowflakes form and what do they really look like up close? Dig deep with a flurry of experimental activities we’ve outlined below to find answers to all her snowflake science questions.

Piece It Together

girl learning about snowflake science
Allison Sutcliffe

We hate to break it to you, but those adorably sweet snowflake cutouts your kid has been bringing home from school this winter don’t pass scientific muster. Because even though folding paper to make four or eight-sided flakes are super easy, Mother Nature’s snowflakes showcase six-sided symmetry exclusively.

Before diving into your own masterpiece, introduce your scientifically-inclined sidekick to the principle that helps explain why six is the magic number for snowflakes: When the water/oxygen molecules bond during freezing they make hexagons. Recreate this microscopic lattice phenomenon on a larger scale using mini marshmallows and toothpicks with your kids (Click on the link above to find a handy-dandy diagram from Ohio State University!).

Cut It Out

learning about snowflake science
Allison Sutcliffe

Now that your kiddo’s got the six-sided thing down, it’s time to make some of your own scientifically accurate snowflakes from paper. We’ve found an easy way for the tot lot to get the signature six-sided look they’re going for (hint: it’s all about the fold). Simply follow this illustrated tutorial to make paper snowflakes that are true to life. And if you’re looking to bypass the mess, the Make-A-Flake digital option is definitely the way to go. Your tech-savvy tot can cut and save all her frosty creations and save trees too!

Get Real

learning about snowflake science
Marc Newberry via Unsplash

Observation is the next step when it comes to snowflake science. If you don't have fresh snow on the ground, you’ve got to get creative and make your own: Leave your freezer door open for a couple of minutes and then close it for 20. When you open it again, your inquisitive cutie should find frosty snowflakes lining the interior.

Now that you’ve got snow to work with, it’s time to get an up-close look at some of Mother Nature’s most delicately beautiful creations. To do this, you’ll need a magnifying glass and a dark piece of paper or, if you’re outside, you can also capture snowflakes on clothing like your gloves or jacket sleeve. Gather a few fresh flakes and use the magnifying glass to examine them in detail (If you’re working with freezer snowflakes, melting is an issue, so leave those tiny miracles in the freezer while you magnify.).

Reassure your little scientists that it’s true, no two are alike, and let them know that just one can be made up of over 200 tiny ice crystals! While you’re looking, have your mini-me count up the sides and use this chart to match what you’ve got in hand with standard ice crystals.

Related: Snowman-Inspired Snacks You Can Easily Pull Off

\

Watch and Learn

Zdeněk Macháček via Unsplash

You’ve figured out a snowflake’s molecular structure, cut out creative and accurate examples of your own, and examined the real deal through a handheld magnifying glass. Now it’s time to take it one step further. Go behind the scene with rad videos that explain a ton of science behind snowflakes, like their formation and life cycle.

Science Friday’s Snowflake Safari follows Kenneth Libbrecht—CalTech’s resident snowflake expert—a scientist who’s spent a lot of time looking into these chilly chips, as he examines snowflake basics. Be sure to augment your own magnifying experience by flipping through some of Libbrecht’s spectacular snowflake slides online. They’re a great way to demonstrate many of the concepts you and your kiddo have already explored.

Finish up your viewing session with the National Science Foundation’s video about photographing snowflakes. It starts with the man who pioneered the field, Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, and ends with the discoveries made by the Present Weather Imager, a high-tech camera that captures snowflakes in action. Lights, camera, learn!

Make Your Own

growing a snowflake crystal is a good snowflake science project
Allison Sutcliffe

Wrap up what you’ve learned about snowflake science by making a crystal snowflake of your own. Use pipe cleaners to create a six-sided snowflake that gets suspended in a Borax solution overnight. What’s created is a larger-than-life snowflake that’s just as sparkly as the ones that fall from the sky.

 

Ah, Valentine’s Day! It’s a time to give kisses, cuddles and, of course, Valentine’s Day science experiments! Combine this love-ly holiday theme with science experiments kids can do at home! They can learn to make pink glitter slime, love potions and heart-shaped crystals. Read on for cool science experiments with tons of heart.

Heart-Shaped Grow Crystals

Tierra Encantada

Our friends at Tierra Encantada shared this cool science experiment just in time for Valentine's Day: 

This awesome activity teaches recrystallization and chemical reactions! Recrystallization happens when a solution of compounds can be dissolved in hot water and then cooled. As it cools, one substance crystalizes (the Borax) and can be removed from the rest of the liquid, which holds the other compound. 

Materials:

- 3 cups of water

- 1 cup of Borax

- Pipe cleaners (red and pink)

- Clear jars or cups

- String

- A stick to hold up your creation (a pen, popsicle stick, etc.)

Instructions:

Boil your water. Add Borax and stir periodically until completely dissolved.  Set aside to cool slightly. While the water/borax combination is cooling, make your heart shapes out of pipe cleaners. You can do this from memory, drawing a heart shape and following the edges of a sheet of paper. Tie a piece of string to the top of your creation. Pour the water combination into your jars. Put the pipe cleaner heart shape into the filled jar leaving the string outside of the water. Tie the string to your stick. Keep in a safe location for 1-2 days and watch as your pipe cleaner grows crystals!

Dissolving Candy Hearts

Emily Ranquist via Pexels

Explore the science of your child's fave Valentine's Day candy. Save a few of those cute conversation hearts, toss them into warm water and wait (and watch, of course) to see what happens. Repeat the science experiment with cool water, veggie oil, milk or any other liquid.

Melting Candy

Katie Rainbow via Unsplash

Put a Valentine's twist on this classic project by putting the candy into a heart shape. Your kiddo can even use only the pinks, purples and reds to make it even more festive. All you need is a plate or dish, your coated candy (such as Skittles) and some water. Put your candies in whatever shape, pour a splash of water on the candies and watch the colors melt! 

Invisible Heart Reveal

Erica Loop

What happens when you mix oily petroleum jelly with watercolors? Let your little one find out when they finger paints a heart using petroleum jelly. Not only is this a super-cool sensory experience (exploring texture) but it's also the first step in a discovery-based Valentine's Day science experiment for kids. While the heart's still sticky, have your child paint a wash of watercolors over it. Whoa. The paint won't stick! Now it's time for your child to figure out why!

Love Potion

Hello Wonderful

Part love potion, part lava lamp, we're totally crushing on this concoction from Agnes at Hello, Wonderful. Using simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry, you can whip up your own version in no time. Click here to get started

Tissue Paper Science

Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash

The red tissue paper that your tot is using to decorate their Valentine's Day card box isn't staying put. That is, the color isn't the staying put. What's going on here? Use the tissue paper's amazing ability to transfer color as the starting point for a cool science experiment. Cut non-color-fast red tissue paper into heart shapes. Have your child drop the hearts into a cup or bowl of water. Now watch what happens. Ask your kid why the water is suddenly red. After exploring the color transfer process, use the red water to paint hearts or other Valentine's pictures onto construction or drawing paper. 

Fizzy Fun

Mama Papa Bubba

A fizzing eruption experiment may not seem like it could possibly have a Valentine's Day theme, but it can. Try this simple fizzy eruption activity from Mama Papa Bubba. But instead of a rainbow of hues, only use holiday colors such as red and pink. This beginning chemistry experiment helps your child to understand reactions on a basic level.

Foamy Hearts

Hands On As We Grow

Get messy ... um, or clean. This soap foam science exploration activity from Hands On As We Grow is sensory fun for your child. Add holiday-themed colors to make this into a Valentine's Day soap-stravaganza. 

Wax Paper Stained Glass

Year in Blue Blog

What happens to crayons when you heat them? Um, you can make stained glass! Sort of. You'll need to do the heating part. But your child can do the prediction, observation and coming to conclusions part—as they figure out how this magic is happening. Get the how-to here

Sensory Soap

Erica Loop

Decorating a valentine with glitter, paints and markers is the norm for this heartfelt holiday. But that doesn't mean you can't throw in a science experiment too. Forget about the usual suspects and help your kiddo to dress-up their handmade cards with sensory soap. Microwave plain Ivory soap in 10-second increments and ask your child to predict what will happen. Stand back and don't let your child touch the hot soap (psst: It will grow, loop and flow into an awesomely puffy cloud when heated). When the soap cools, flake into pieces. Cut out a construction paper heart, add glue and sprinkle the sensory soap flakes on top.

Color Changing Flowers

Little Bins for Little Hands

Instead of giving a dozen red roses, your child can give friends and family a bouquet of super-scienced-out ones! Check out this color changing flower science experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands. And then give them rainbow-hued products as Valentine's Day gifts.

—Taylor Clifton & Erica Loop

Feature photo by Istock

 

RELATED STORIES:

53 Easy Valentine’s Day Cards You Can Actually Make

The 14 Funniest Kids Valentine’s Day Poems Ever

The 26 Worst Valentine’s Day Gifts, Ever

12 Sweet & Low-Stress Valentine’s Day Recipes

Snot, baby! It’s everywhere. From playgrounds to backpacks across America, the DIY slime craze has taken the under 12 crowd by storm. One-up ’em and make some boogers you can call your own. This gross but cool science experiment will thrill your kiddos! Read on for this easy science project.

snot-supplies

What you’ll need:

Borax

Glue gel (we used purple glitter)

Green and/or yellow food coloring

Water

Cups/ spoons/ chopstick for mixing and stirring

Measuring cup and spoon

snot-step1

(Shhhh: This isn’t just a gross recipe; it’s science! Your young chemists will discover that mixing borax solution and glue triggers a real chemical reaction that changes both solutions into a gloriously gross goo.)
Step One: Make a borax solution
Mix two tablespoons of borax with one cup of water and stir until dissolved. Parental note: Borox powder can irritate the lungs if inhaled in powder form. Be sure to keep the box away from kids and do the pouring/scooping for younger tots who might spill. 

snot-step2

Step Two: Make a watery glue ooze
Mix three tablespoon of water with two tablespoons of glue (we used this glitter glue, just because we wanted our snot to sparkle) and stir to combine.

snot-step4

Step Three: Make it green
Let your little one be a color mixologist! Drop just enough green and yellow food coloring (a few drops is all you need!) into your ooze to make it a nice, Ogre-green color. But you can also get creative and do red, blue, black or even purple goop.

snot-step6

Step Four: Make the yucky magic happen!
This is the fun part: Add one tablespoon of the borax solution to your glue ooze and stir. Watch as the concoction quickly turns into a gooey clump. Add more borax solution if you want to thin out your ooze; less to keep it more like a jelly-snot. Ours turned out more solid than liquid, but our little chemists were happy with that.

snot-step7

Step Five: Trick your friends!
You’ve made your snot; now, what to do with it? Let your kiddos try these fun tricks:

Put your boogers into a tissue and go, “Ah-choo!” Then, show off the goods to anyone who wants to look.

Leave some stuck across the bathroom door handle.

Break off some pieces and make some yucky chunks to “pick” out of your nose. If you can do this before your kids do, you are going to earn some serious cred.

snot-booger

 

— all photos and copy by Melissa Heckscher

 

 

RELATED STORIES:

Easy Science Experiments Kids Can Do At Home

How to Make a Baking Powder Vinegar-Powered Steam Boat

Simple Science Projects to Do in Your Backyard

Easy Science Fair Projects for Kids

Kids Science Experiments That Use Water

If you’re wondering what the deal is with the slime craze and whether borax is safe to use or not—this video is for you. Here’s a clear explanation of why kids (and adults) are so fascinated with this substance, and the science behind why it works.

Featured Photo Courtesy: Jenny Ballif

Jenny has worked as a molecular biologist and a wild land firefighter, and at plenty of other jobs that fall inbetween wearing a labcoat and weilding a chainsaw. When not working on videos for her YouTube channel (Science Mom), she can often be found plotting the family's next camping trip.