Looking for a fun science activity for age s 6-12? Pick up a slime craft kit at any of the Library Branch Locations B eatley\, Barrett\, Burke\, or Duncan while supplies last. \;
\nA ll supplies included in the craft kit!
\nSLIME SCIENCE
We alway
s like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! \; Slim
e is an excellent chemistry demonstration and kids love it too! \; &nb
sp\;Mixtures\, substances\, polymers\, cross-linking\, states of matter\,
elasticity\, and viscosity are just a few of the science concepts that can
be explored with homemade slime!
What&rsquo\;s slime science all about? \; The borate ions in the \;slime activators \;(sodium borate\, borax powder\, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl acetate ) glue and forms this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linkin g!
\nThe glue is a polymer and is made up of long\, repeating\, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules with flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until&hellip\;
\nYou add the bo rate ions to the mixture\, \; and it then starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is les s like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubbery like slime! Sli me is a polymer.
\nPicture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms\, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!
\nIs slime a liquid o
r solid?
We call it a Non-Newtonian fluid because it&rsquo\;s a littl
e bit of both! \; Experiment with making the slime more or less viscou
s with varying amounts of foam beads. Can you change the density?