STEM Activity: Magnetic Slime

Looking for a fun sensory activity? Make stretchy, gooey slime that’s magnetic!

Materials Needed

• BioColor^®BioPutty^® Putty Kit
• Bucket
• Iron filings
• Neodymium magnet

At-Home Instructions

• Make your magnetic slime by placing half of the clear BioPutty solution into your bucket.

• Empty a bottle of BioColor paint into the solution.

• Mix and knead the paint into the solution until it turns into a slime.

• Remove the slime from the bucket and discard the clear liquid.
   
• Fold in all the iron filings from the container. Mix well.

• Knead until the consistency is smooth.

• Explore how the slime interacts with the neodymium magnet.

• Remember to wash your hands after exploring the slime!

Educators: Use this activity in the classroom with these modifications

Use this activity to kick-start a discussion about magnetism in the classroom. Introduce National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Inductees Lubomyr Romankiw and David Thompson, who invented magnetic thin-film storage heads. These innovators used magnets to revolutionize how we store data on computers. Lead a brainstorming session with your class and ask your students to come up with different ways magnets and magnetic inventions could improve everyday life.

What Are We Discovering?

Some materials change states from solids to liquids to gases when the temperature changes. When you boil water, it turns into a gas. When you freeze water, it turns into a solid. You probably already knew that, but did you know that other materials change states when they are under pressure? Magnetic slime is special because it is non-Newtonian. That means that when you apply quick pressure to the slime, it increases its viscosity, or thickness. When you slap the slime, it feels hard because it forces the molecules to bind together. When you slowly lower your hand into the slime, it will sink right in. Slowly applying pressure gives the slime particles time to move out of the way.

Looking for More STEM Activities?

Discover more fun and educational science activities by reading our blog or by visiting our Camp Invention Facebook page.