Children enjoy playing with their buddies at school, but when children are at school, they often talk about their families. Children crave time with their parents and siblings and enjoy quality time with them. Playing together creates a bond that will last forever and will create a childhood that will be filled with a lifetime memories.
Family activities are great for the whole family. A fun family activity to do with your child is to make your own homemade Flubber. Children love to be part of the process of making Flubber. Flubber is similar to prefabricated “slime”, but the texture is a little different. Making your own flubber gives the child the opportunity to increase their sensory skills by feeling the texture: molding, squishing, and squeezing it between their fingers. Playing with Flubber also increases finger strength and dexterity, which helps with future writing strength. Children can play with flubber for hours! Not only will it be fun for your child, but you’ll probably find yourself playing right along with them! To make this awesome homemade flubber recipe you will need:
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons of borax
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups of white school glue
• Food Coloring
WHAT TO DO
• Add 1/3 cup water to bowl, then add the borax and stir until dissolved
• Next add the food coloring or Kool-Aid and set aside (be careful…food coloring stains)
• In another bowl, add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of school glue and stir until thoroughly mixed
• Add borax mix to the glue mix
• Next you will knead with your hands for approximately 5 minutes until the water is completely adsorbed. You will be able to tell when it is done.
• Make sure to ask your child open-ended questions while playing with the Flubber. For example, ask about the texture, the color, smell, how does it feel, compare it to different textures, etc.
• But most importantly, HAVE FUN!
• You are able to save the Flubber in a zip bag
Author: Cristina Gomez, CSULA Child Development Intern