Beat the Boredom with Slime-Making Bins

Written by: Klynne Brinas; Photos: Courtesy of Klynne Brinas

Homemade slime has gained much popularity. It is cheap to make, and it is a whole lot of fun! You can easily create a homemade slime-making bin to entertain your kids at home any time. I have several ‘beat the boredom’ bins at home to keep the kids occupied while social distancing.

Homemade slime-making bin materials

You will need the following:

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• A bin big enough to contain all of the materials.
  
  
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• I purchased a plastic basket from the Dollar Store.
  
  
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• Glue. Any kind of glue will work: white, clear, or glitter glue.
  
  
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• Baking soda
  
  
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• Craft sticks for mixing
  
  
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• Food coloring. The kids will enjoy mixing the colors to create custom-colored slime.
  
  
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• Contact lens solution. Make sure that sodium borate and boric acid are on the ingredients list. I recommend and use Renu Fresh contact lens solution by Bausch & Lomb.
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Be aware when purchasing the generic counterpart of this contact lens solution. I purchased the Walmart brand, and it did not have sodium borate and boric acid in the ingredients list. Although it is significantly cheaper to purchase, it will not work. This contact lens solution is the most expensive ingredient (about $11 for a 355ml bottle), but one bottle goes a long way - you only need a couple of squirts per batch. Or, make your own contact solution by dissolving 1 Tablespoon of Borax in 1 cup of boiling water. Once cool, store in a squirt bottle, usually available to purchase at the Dollar Store (do not use this solution for your contact lenses).

Homemade slime recipes

There are a lot of homemade slime recipes online. I made one of the recipes into a PDF printable on Canva and put the recipe in a sheet protector. Now all your kids have to do is follow the instructions to start making slime any time they want! (If you want a copy of my family’s homemade slime recipe, send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I will reply with the PDF instructions as an attachment.)

My family uses old take-out containers for mixing and storage; it keeps the mess contained and prevents the slime from drying out. Make sure there is adult supervision when your kids are making the slime because there are chemicals that need to be properly handled.

Slime versions

There are several versions of homemade slime. The fluffy version is made by adding shaving cream foam before mixing in the contact solution. The glitter version is made by adding glitter before mixing in the contact solution. Let your kids be creative!

My kids enjoy having the homemade slime-making kit as one of their ‘beat the boredom’ bins. It allows them to play, learn, and create, as well as entertain themselves for hours at a time! Slime-making is also a great STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) activity.

If you want to see the Slime-Making Bin in action, watch “Slime Making with Kaeden” on my IGTV.

A mini-version of this slime-making kit makes an awesome birthday party activity or grab-bag as a thank you for attending our party (when the pandemic is over, of course). Mini slime-making kits also make great holiday gifts! This past Christmas, I made slime kits to give away as presents to friends and family.

I hope you create a homemade slime-making bin to beat the boredom while we are all social distancing. When you do, please share it on Instagram and tag @This.Family.Life.We.Live. My family would love to see your creations!

Fueled by strong coffee and a Gemini personality, Klynne shares ideas on living a minimal organized life full of adventures. For creative ideas on how to elevate frugal to luxury, visit thisfamilylifewelive.com.