Making goo (also known as slime, gak, or flubber) is a simple process. You only need three ingredients, and this recipe results in a weird, stretchy substance that entertains kids for quite awhile. This is a fun experiment for kids of all ages — I found the recipe at Steve Spangler science. Fall is a great time of year to stock up on one of the principle ingredients: white glue. School supply sales are awesome! Of course, you can buy white glue at the dollar store all year around for the low price of $1, too.





My sons and I made a video tutorial. This project really is easy enough for a four year-old to do (with supervision, of course!)

Project Estimate:

8 oz (1 big bottle or 2 small) White glue, $1

1-1/2 cups Water, on hand

1 teaspoon Borax, $4 for a box

Total: $5

To Make:

1. Pour glue into a bowl.

2. Fill glue bottle with warm water and shake to get all the glue out of the bottle. Pour into bowl. Add food coloring if desired.

3. Add 1 teaspoon Borax to 1/2 cup of warm water and stir.

4. Pour Borax-water solution into bowl and mix. Long strings will immediately form. Continue to mix until smooth.

5. Store in a zip-top bag or sealed container.

A note about Borax:

Borax is the only “weird” ingredient in the list, but it’s easy to find it in the laundry section of your local grocery store. Unfortunately, you probably won’t find it at the dollar store, but you go to the grocery store still, don’t you? You only need a teaspoon of Borax for this recipe, but you can use the rest of the Borax to make your own laundry detergent and DIY dishwashing detergent.

Is Borax Safe?

Some people aren’t sure if Borax is safe for kids. In my research, I have discovered that Borax is generally safe for use in recipes like Goo. Obviously, you don’t want to let your child eat the Borax or the Goo, but “most likely, the skin and respiratory irritation that borax causes is due to the structure of the substance (many sharp edges). Table salt, or sodium chloride, causes irritation by the same method.” Of course, if you are not comfortable with letting your child use a product that includes Borax as an ingredient, you should skip this project. Here’s the MSDS Safety Sheet for Borax.

Steve Spangler says: