Teaching Measurements to Create Slime

Grade Levels: K-12 (Modifications can be made depending on grade and skill levels.)
Subject: Mathematics and Science
Duration: 1-2 class periods
Common Core Standards:
- 3.MD.A.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l).
Lesson Overview:
Slime-making captivates kids' attention and provides an excellent opportunity to introduce and teach them about measurements. By incorporating measurements into the slime-making process, children can develop important math and science skills while having a blast. Moreover, the sensory experience of slime-making stimulates their creativity and fine motor skills.
Lesson Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Understand the concept of measurements and their importance in scientific experiments.
- Apply measuring skills to create slime by following a given recipe.
- Practice using different units of measurement, such as ounces, milliliters, and teaspoons.
Materials Needed:
- Ingredients for making slime
- Glue
- Borax
- Warm water
- Mixing bowls and spoons.
- Measuring cups (Ounces, if desired)
- Food coloring (Optional)
- Plastic zip bags for storing slime
- Slime Recipe from pbs.org
- Squeeze ½ cup (4 ounces) of glue into a bowl.
- Mix in ½ cup (or 4 ounces) of warm water.
- Add a few drops of food coloring, optional.
- Mix one teaspoon of Borax into ½ cup of water in a plastic container. Slowly add the solution to the glue mixture.
- Stir the mixture in one direction until it starts to thicken. (You might not need all of the Borax solution.)
- Knead the slime. At first, it will be wet and gooey, then stringy and sloppy, until it finally holds together.
- Keep kneading until the slime is easy to hold and play with.
- Put the slime in a plastic bag with a zip top or a sealable container for storage. It will last two weeks before it needs to be thrown away.
Procedure:
Introduction (10 minutes):
- Begin the lesson by briefly discussing your students' experiences with slime. Bring a sample of slime and show it to your class.
- Ask the students if they have ever made slime before. Ask what slime is made of and/or let the students guess the ingredients.
- Explain to the students that today they will learn about measurements and their importance in science experiments like making slime.
- Share the lesson objectives with the students (listed above).
Demonstration and Explanation (20 minutes):
- Display the ingredients needed to make slime, along with the measuring tools.
- Discuss the importance of accurate measurements in scientific experiments and how they affect the outcome.
- If you have time, make slime with inaccurate measurements and then again with correct measurements to show the students accurate measuring and its importance.
- Introduce the slime recipe and discuss the importance of following the instructions precisely.
- Explain the different units of measurement that will be used in this activity.
- Demonstrate how to use the measuring cups correctly, emphasizing the importance of leveling off the measurements for accuracy. If needed, teach your students how to level off their measurements.
Hands-on Activity (30-40 minutes):
- Divide the students into small groups or pairs depending on your class size and supplies.
- Provide each group with the necessary materials, including the recipe.
- Instruct the students to measure the ingredients according to the given recipe.
- Encourage students to work collaboratively, assisting one another with measuring and mixing.
- Circulate among the groups to monitor their progress and address any questions or difficulties.
Clean-up and Reflection (10 minutes):
- Instruct the students to clean up their work areas and return all materials to their designated places.
- Gather the students back together and engage in a discussion or collaborative worksheet about the process. Ask questions such as:
- Did your slime work? Why or why not?
- How did accurate measurements affect the outcome of your slime?
- What challenges did you face while measuring the ingredients?
- Why is it important to follow instructions when conducting scientific experiments?
- Did your team have any trouble working together? Yes or no, and explain.
Conclusion (5 minutes):
- Summarize the slime-making process, emphasizing the importance of measurements in scientific experiments.
- Allow students to share their observations and experiences from the activity.
- You may want to do a gallery walk so students can see the other teams' slime.
Assessment:
- Have students describe in their own words the step-by-step process of making slime. You may provide the ingredients list, but not the recipe instructions, to aid in this assignment.
- Have students explain the importance of accurate measurements and how they affect the outcome.
- Have students brainstorm other math and science lessons using hands-on measurement activities. (Baking a cake, growing crystals, etc.)
Written by Deborah Andrus, English Teacher in California
Education World Contributor
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