Magnetic slime!

A few months ago I was hell bent on making this magnetic silly putty I had heard about... and couldn't find the ferric iron oxide powder it called for anywhere (the instructions state that it should be easy to find at any reasonably-well-stocked art store, but not in Austin it isn't) so I went ahead and ordered it online.

Jack found it pretty fun but truthfully I found it to be a bit of a bust. Not very easy to massage the powder into silly putty... and I couldn't imagine doing it with a whole group of kids (which is why I ordered 5 pounds of the stuff). So what to do with this huge bag of this bizarre powder.

Some good buds were coming over for a sleep over tonight when I stumbled upon the solution. I was thinking of making slime with them for some cheap laffs when I suddenly wondered what would happen if I chucked some of this powder into the brew. Well it worked like gangbusters, as illustrated by Jack saying, "I'm so lucky to have the coolest mom ever!" and Oliver, the visiting friend, saying, "I'm so lucky to be the friend of the coolest mom ever!" Aw shucks, guys, flattery will get you everywhere!

It was much easier to mix and I was able to add a lot, so that it was ultra magnetic. Here's the recipe:

Solution A (mix well)

1 c. warm water

1 tsp. borax

Solution B (mix well)

1/2 c. white glue

1/2 c. warm water

1/3 c. ferric iron oxide powder

Add Solution B to Solution A and don't mix, but gently swirl the bowl so it sloshes around for a few seconds. Then, voila! You have achieved slimeage. Neodymium magnets are recommended, for their super strong magnetic powers. Just play around with it and have fun, it's mighty strange stuff.

In all honesty we really were bending over backwards to make this the most kick ass sleep over ever (like the mixed metaphors there?), not really for any particular reason but that we often kind of phone it in when having a sleepover and I feel a tad guilty about that, and right now I don't have any classes going on or anything, not 'til mid September, so I actually was not all tired and grumpy and burned out (so sad! but alas, it's true). So anyway, not only did we have magnetic slime and swimming and ice cream sundaes BUT a freakin' transformer exploded out on the street and caused the parched grass of this terribly drought-fried land (77 days in a row of over 100 degrees temperatures here in Austin, TX) to burst into flame! SO it was incredibly exciting with real fire (quickly stomped out and sprayed on with garden hoses) and then fire engines and police cars, and the term "exploding transformers' completely dazzled the five year olds... we could not have planned a more dynamic and memorable evening. Best. Sleepover. EVER!!