In this BLOG post I will share the recipe and directions for taste-safe slime, storage tips and ways to support messy play.
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XO Gina
This recipe is MESSY but so much fun. It is soft, squishy and odorless. It can be brightened with food coloring or used as is. You can simply squeeze or scoop with your hands or you can add your favorite dinos, diggers and scoops.
The best part...it only takes TWO ingredients, three if you add food coloring!
This recipe is considered taste-safe so it is a great starter sensory bin for those who are exploring with their mouths! You get to decide what is and manageable in your home. Always monitor young children during sensory play.
Materials:
(1/2) cup chia seeds
(2) cups water
Food coloring (optional)
Sensory bin or bowl
Spoon
Water
How To:
Measure the chia seeds and pour them into a sensory bin or bowl.
If you want to add food coloring, squirt a few drops into the water, then pour it into the chia seeds.
Mix well.
Refrigerate overnight.
If you want multiple colors, repeat the above for each one you want!
PLAY!!!
Messy play is SO beneficial for children. It's open-ended, encourages creativity, provides sensory input & teaches them about their personal boundaries. Messy play activates the senses and has been known to be calming, offering an incredible opportunity to practice self-regulation strategies.
What skills are you working on during messy play?
Fine & Gross Motor Skills: As the child squishes and squeezes, they are developing their finger and hand muscles. Those same finger and hand muscles are responsible for self-help skills such as: feeding yourself, zippering your coat and holding a pencil during writing! Messy play can also help support spatial awareness, balance & coordination.
Hand-Eye Coordination: Hand-eye coordination is simultaneously using your hands & your eyes for a task. Strong hand-eye coordination helps you with tasks such as feeding yourself, coloring in the lines & pouring a drink in a cup.
Bilateral coordination: Using both sides of the body to complete a task.
Cognitive development refers to how a child acquires and understands information; how they think, learn and problem solve. There are many opportunities to develop cognitive development during messy play through problem solving and understanding cause/effect.
Language Development: Messy play is SO good for supporting language development. There are opportunities to learn new words and practice phrases.
Social Skills: Messy play can help to establish and strengthen social skills. Children will practice using their manners, sharing, turn-taking and having patience.
Clean up-tips:
For easy clean up: keep wipes nearby, along with a plastic bag or trash bin to discard.
Wear old clothes or a bathing suit, and plan to head to the tub after this fun sensory play!
Take it outdoors! Wash it off with a hose when you're done.
Use an old beach towel or sheet under the bins to catch any spills.
How to encourage messy play?
Start small. Put a tiny amount in a bowl and explore with it to see how it feels!
Play with them! Roll up your sleeves and get messy with them.
Let them know that getting messy is OK.
Have a clean-up strategy so that they can wipe their hands quickly if it becomes too much. Maybe have a towel in their lap or wipes right next to them.
Encourage starting with just one finger. "Poke the Chia Seed Slime with your pointer finger. How does it feel?"
What else can you add to Chia Seed Slime?
Spoons, scoops and bowls
Trucks, cars or diggers
Plastic animals
A kitchen strainer
Gems or jewels
Plastic Easter eggs
Funnel
Plastic or silicone letters or numbers
Does the food coloring stain hands?
No! There is typically no color transfer with activities like this. That being said, any time you use food coloring I suggest being cautious of what surfaces you
The colors are SO pretty but after being explored for a bit, merge into a brownish color. Perfect for dinos or trucks or squishing around in!
How to discard Chia Seed Slime:
You can reuse this bin! When you're done playing, put it in the refrigerator for up to a week and keep the fun going!
Because it is food, it can technically go down the drain BUT I was worried it would clog the drain with such a large amount. When we were done playing with it, I put it in a bag and threw it in the trash.
Want to see it in action? Check it out HERE!
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