How to Make Sand Slime

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If you are new to slime making this recipe is for you! Super easy to make Sand Slime! The perfect summer sensory play idea for preschoolers all the way up to preteens!

If you want more slime recipes check out my Glow In the Dark Slime instructions here.

And checkout my short form crafting series on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Watch all the episodes here.

Sticky Slime

When you first make slime it will be sticky. That is just the nature of slime. Resist the urge to toss it or believe that you’ve failed. Stick with the kneading process. By continuing to mix your slime will slowly start to become less sticky.

I’ve tested this recipe lots of times and have produced awesome slime every time. No need to add any more of any ingredient, Just keep mixing!! Think of Dori from Finding Nemo: “Just keeping Mixing”

What Kind of Sand To Use

You can use any type of sand you are comfortable letting your child play with. I used sand from our sandbox but another fun option is colored sand for an extra colorful sensory experience.

How to Activate Your Slime

This is very important: To activate your slime you will need contact lens solution. Not every contact solution is created equal, at least when it comes to activating your slime. Make sure to purchase slime that has boric acid and sodium borate as the main ingredients. The brand that I like to use is Renu Fresh. If you use a contact lens solution without these ingredients your slime will not work.

Empty the entire bottle of Elmer’s clear glue into a bowl. To make a good amount of slime you will need the entire bottle. To get the residue, use a box cutter to cut open the top of the bottle and use a craft stick to scrap out as much of the glue as you can.
Add 1/2 cup of warm water and mix.
Next, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and mix thoroughly with the glue and water solution.
Add some sand. You can add a little now and then add more later on!
Add 1 tablespoon of contact lens. Mix throughly. You slime will start to form at this point but it will be sticky.
Keep mixing until the slime becomes less sticky. Remember the slime will be sticky at first, that is totally normal, keep mixing until the stickiness decreases.
Start kneading with your hands to continue to chemical reaction and to reduce the stickiness. Resist the urge to add anymore contact lens solution or other ingredients other than sand. Your slime will slowly become less sticky as you knead it with your hands.

How to Play with You Sand Slime

Time to play with your sand slime! Add some sea shells, star fish and any under the sea creatures!! You can add more sand at this point as well!

How to Store Your Sand Slime

Store your slime in an airtight container. It will last about a week. I like to store our slime in a ziplock Make sure to remove as much air as you can to ensure that the slime lasts as long as possible.

Age Suitability

This activity is good for kids 3 years and up. My kids are 4, 4, and 8 year old.

Mess Level

This is a mess level is high.

Difficulty to Create

Medium.

Skills Developed in Sand Slime

Sensory play, language development, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Supplies for Sand Slime

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

6 oz Bottle of Elmer’s Clear Glue
1/2 cup of Water
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 tablespoon of contact lens solution (contact lens solution must contain boric acid and sodium borate your slime will NOT work without it)
Sand (you can use play sand in different colors or sandbox sand)
Seashell, starfish and other under the sea creatures

Looking for more summer activity ideas? Check out of these other round-ups for more ways to stay busy this summer:

Check out My Books & TV Show!

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to finally share my new crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched July 1 at on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube!

This show is all about fun and easy crafts for toddlers and preschoolers.

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.