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Home / Early Learning / Sensory / Creepy Crawly Slime Recipe for Kids

Creepy Crawly Slime Recipe for Kids

Shared by Mary Catherine 10 Comments

Looking for ideas for how to make slime with kids? I’ve got you covered! We first created this creepy crawly slime recipe for kids during summer camp, but it’s been made and used at home and in my classroom during the regular school year.

So this mud, worm, and bugs slime recipe for kids is definitely kid approved!

It may look a little . . . um, interesting . . . but it’s full of playful sensory learning!

Creepy crawly slime recipe for kids to make and explore

Related: Spring Activities for Preschoolers

Table of Contents

  • Dirt and Mud Slime Recipe for Kids
    • Ingredients
    • Creepy Crawlies to Use with the Slime
    • Directions
    • How the Kids Played
    • Learning
  • Worm Lesson Plans
  • Check out more creepy crawly activities

Dirt and Mud Slime Recipe for Kids

Ingredients

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

8 oz. Clear glue
8 oz. warm Water
6 to 7 oz. Sta-Flo liquid starch
1 TB Brown liquid watercolor
1/4 cup Old coffee grounds

Creepy Crawlies to Use with the Slime

Fake bait worms
Large plastic insects
Insects TOOB

Dirt and mud slime recipe for kids

Related: Simple Pond Sensory Play Idea

Directions

1. Pour the clear glue into a bowl. Fill up the glue bottle with warm water, shake, and add that to the bowl. Make sure you use approximately equal parts glue and water.

2. Add the liquid watercolor and mix well. I used a tablespoon of it, but you can adjust that amount as you’d like.

3. Add the coffee grounds. I broke open an old Keurig container, which equaled about a quarter of a cup. Again, you can adjust the amount as you’d like.

4. You need to take the next part very slowly! Add the liquid starch a tablespoon or so at a time and mix well. After slowly adding and mixing in about half of the starch, knead the slimy concoction (just like you’d knead dough). Then add a tablespoon of starch at a time after that, kneading after each addition. Once the slime has reached the consistency you like, stop and get playing!

Dirt and worms slime recipe for kids

Related: I Spy Insect Sensory Bottle

How the Kids Played

During summer camp, the students used plastic “worms” in the slime. We were inspired by Twodaloo’s dirt and worms frozen excavation activity, as well as my Star Wars Lego Slime. The worms were buried in “muddy slime”, left to sink into the slime, and stretched along with the slime. Some of the kiddos enjoyed pressing the worms into the slime, then removing the worms and looking for “worm prints, Miss Mary Catherine! Kind of like fingerprints, but worms don’t have fingers.”

This year’s preschoolers used different creepy crawlers in the dirt and mud slime, but they had just as much fun with it! They pulled and stretched the slime, making some of the bugs zoom through the middle. The slime was left to splay out on the table, with the bugs jumping and flying into it. It’s been requested multiple times already, so I see more dirty, muddy, creepy crawly slime in my future!

Mud slime recipe for kids to make

Oh, and in case you’re wondering — only one kiddo mentioned that the slime looked like something in a cat box!

Learning

The children had so many chances to practice language and conversational skills. There was also so much science learning with this activity – observing how the ingredients worked together to create something new was an interesting concept to explore! The children thoroughly used their sense of touch, sight, and smell while playing with this slime, too.

Do you have a slime recipe for kids that you’d like to share? As always, I’m always on the lookout for new ideas to try!

Originally published October 29, 2014

Worm Lesson Plans

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to a worms theme, and we’ve provided different versions for preschool classrooms and home preschool, so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

Worm Lesson Plans for Preschool

Worm Theme Lesson Plans >>> Preschool Classroom | Home Preschool

Check out more creepy crawly activities

Beginning Sounds: Hunting for Creepy Crawlies by Mom Inspired Life
Preschool Songs: I’m a Hungry Spider by Growing Book by Book
The Creepy Crawlies Kingdom by Learning 2 Walk
Spider Life Cycle and Sequencing Cards by The Preschool Toolbox
Spider Web Construction – An Engineering Activity by Rainy Day Mum
Insects and Spiders-Counting and Math Song by Capri + 3
Creepy Crawly Gifts Kids Can Make by The Educators’ Spin On It

Exploring a dirt and mud slime recipe for kids

Filed Under: Science, Sensory Tagged With: #playfulpreschool, #TeachECE, Insects, slime

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Comments

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  1. Amanda says

    October 29, 2014 at 6:32 am

    That slime is disgustingly wonderful!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 1, 2014 at 3:44 pm

      What a great description! Thanks, Amanda!

      Reply
  2. Natasha says

    October 29, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    It looks so nasty that I know my kids would love it. OMG! I have to try this for them.

    Reply
  3. Karen @ PreKinders.com says

    October 29, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    Whoa! That is so GROSS! Exactly why kids will love it. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 1, 2014 at 3:44 pm

      Hahahahaha! Yes, it’s rather gross, Karen! Like you said, that’s exactly why the kiddos loved it. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says

    October 30, 2014 at 11:17 pm

    I really need to make slime. I know my kids would love it. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 1, 2014 at 3:33 pm

      Slime always seems to be a big hit for me – both at home and at school! 🙂 Thanks, Jodie!

      Reply
  5. Theresa says

    October 31, 2014 at 9:11 am

    When I first saw the picture, I thought it was sand. I love that you used coffee grounds to create that texture and look. Our kids would LOVE to play with that! We will have to try it.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 1, 2014 at 3:32 pm

      Thanks, Theresa! I hope you do try it, and I hope your kiddos enjoy it as much as mine did. 🙂

      Reply
  6. The Preschool Toolbox says

    November 2, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    This is awesome! What a great sensory SLIME to play in with bugs! I’ll bet your kids had a blast with it!

    Reply
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My name is Mary Catherine, and I love to share meaningful {and fun} learning activities for kiddos! Feel free to browse and stay awhile!

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