How To Make Styrofoam At Home

This DIY floam was sooooo much fun! And information technology's fabricated from styrofoam cups! The consistency is squishy and moldable but with a actually absurd foamy texture. I couldn't believe that my 20 month old happily played with this stuff for almost 45 minutes! And my four year sometime played with it for over an hour. Even my hubby was busy building things with our homemade floam! (He said he was making sure none of it concluded up in the kids' mouths, but I think he secretly enjoyed the activity time…)

My 4 year sometime is starting junior kindergarten next month and I am soooooooo excited for her. She's a niggling nervous though. Terminal night when I was tucking her in, she asked if her older sister would be in the same classroom as her, and when I said no, she turned white equally a ghost. It was ane of those parenting moments when you realize a moment too late that y'all've said something that's going to upset them.

I told her not to worry because she'd make other good friends. But she was still looking really stressed and she said, "But at that place'southward going to be boys in my class!? I don't desire to play with boys!" Ha! The poor affair! I had to get my half-dozen year old to chinkle in to tell her all the fun things near kindergarten. Well-nigh how great the craft center is, and how fun information technology is to do gymnastics in gym class and play soccer and how you get to larn to read. It fabricated me so proud to listen to my 6 year sometime proceed and on about how awesome school is. I love that she loves school!

My girls looooooooooove crafts. And I love doing activities with them where they get to explore using materials in a new or different way, so this was a super fun projection for us to attempt! I was inspired by the awesome blog posts over at Growing a Jeweled Rose and Pattern Dazzle.

I know, I know, why use styrofoam cups when you lot tin can purchase styrofoam beads, but honestly, this is so much more fun and way cheaper than buying the beads. It's a swell way to experiment with materials and textures and to explore what you tin can do with things that you already take around the house. Also, when we're ready to do a craft, we don't want to await for materials to send from Amazon, so this was something we could do from start to finish in one afternoon.

DIY Floam Using Styrofoam Cups | Bootleg Floam

The full printable recipe is at the end of this post, but here's what you'll need:

Styrofoam Cups (or Styrofoam Beads)
White Schoolhouse Gum
Water
Borax
Food Colouring
Large Freezer Numberless

My kids are actually proficient about not putting things in they're mouths, but if you lot're worried, yous can check out our edible marshmallow play dough here which is totally meant for safe taste testing!

Breaking up the styrofoam cups into small beads was definitely the most time consuming part, but I think I figured out the best and quickest method (for my blender anyway).

Break the cups into small pieces and put most ane/4 of the bag into the blender (about 1o cups). Add together about ane Tablespoon of h2o to the cups, embrace it and so blend information technology on loftier for most 2 minutes. Have off the lid, push button down the beads from the side and meet if information technology needs more than time. It might just need to exist pulsed a piffling more, or information technology might need another minute or ii on high once again.

If you find it's not working, remove some of the styrofoam from the blender jar and try again with a smaller quantity. Your blender might be a different size than mine, so you'll take to encounter what works best for you.

You'll end up with some "snow" like styrofoam with some larger pieces in it. Mine definitely wasn't perfect, and then don't worry if there are some larger chunks in there.

Deliquesce the borax in hot water until the water is completely clear. I put mine in the microwave for 1 minute and information technology dissolved no trouble.

Side by side, pour the glue, more hot water and the food colouring into the freezer pocketbook. I used a wide mouth bricklayer jar to prop it open up. Make certain you lot mix the glue, hot water and food colouring really well by squishing it with your fingers through the handbag, earlier you add the borax mixture. It will plough into a clumpy mess if it's not mixed well.

Next, add together the water and borax mixture and mix it well. It will instantly get kind of stringy. Proceed kneading it through the bag until information technology has a slime consistency. Mine had some stubborn h2o that I merely couldn't go to absorb, but information technology didn't seem to matter in the terminate, so don't worry if you are having trouble getting it to mix together.

Next, add the styrofoam beads to the bag, zip it upwardly and knead it all together. The kids really enjoyed helping with this office. Information technology was fun to watch the slime slowly ooze and get captivated past the styrofoam.

If it seems likewise watery, add together more styrofoam. Then open the bag, and let information technology dry out out for a few minutes.

Information technology might need a little scrap more kneading when you take it out, merely once it's prepare, it has a perfect floam consistency!

It'due south completely moldable and it doesn't stick to your hands!

It's soft and foamy when you squeeze information technology, but it holds its shape really well.

Nosotros flattened it into pancakes, molded it into shapes, and rolled it into long snakes.

And so we realized that it would too work really well with the play dough accessories… although, I'd recommend merely using things that are easy to wash.

My iv twelvemonth one-time LOVED this stuff. She played with it just like play dough and had a blast.

If you desire to change the consistency, all yous take to practice is play around with the amount of Borax that you add. Yous can make information technology slimier by adding less Borax and you can make information technology stiffer by adding more Borax.

DIY Floam Using Styrofoam Cups | Homemade Floam

This DIY floam is such a fun sensory activity to endeavour with the kids!

Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Yield: 3 cups

2 cups Styrofoam beads approximately 10 Styrofoam cups
1/2 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon borax
1/4 cup white school glue
1/4 cup warm water
10 drops food colouring

Break the styrofoam cups into small pieces and place them into a blender. Add virtually one Tablespoon of water, cover, and blend on high for approximately 2 minutes. Remove the lid, scrape down the edges with a spatula and pulse it for 30 seconds at a time until information technology'south completely ground up into minor beads. (It won't be perfect, simply that's okay).
Add together ane Tablespoon of Borax to 1/ii loving cup hot water and stir until dissolved and the h2o turns clear. Microwave for xx seconds at a fourth dimension to help it deliquesce.
Add 1/4 cup white mucilage, 1/4 loving cup warm water and 10 drops nutrient colouring to a large freezer bag. Squeeze and knead it through the bag until it'south combined. (Make sure it's completely mixed earlier adding the borax).
Add the water and borax mixture to the bag and again, knead it until the water is absorbed and it turns into slime. (It's okay if you lot can't become all the h2o to blot).
Add ii cups of styrofoam beads to the pocketbook, seal the bag, and so knead it until the slime and styrofoam are completely mixed.
Open the pocketbook and allow to air out for five minutes before playing with it.
Repeat for additional colours.

This DIY floam is such a fun sensory activity to try with the kids! It ends upwards with a soft and squishy texture that's completely moldable! It takes about half an hr to make and will last for at least a month, or even longer if it's kept sealed in a zip lock bag. It's a great activity to teach kids near using (or fifty-fifty reusing) materials in a new and dissimilar fashion.

If you're looking for more fun activities to effort with the kids, check out our homemade gak recipe. It uses the aforementioned ingredients as this floam, but without the styrofoam, it makes the BEST slime! Definitely worth trying!