Got slime? The trend that is wiping out glue supplies and creating tween bosses

TODAY, product courtesy of merchant site
Copyright TODAY, image courtesy of merchant website
By Allison Slater Tate with TODAY Lifestyle
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Kids across the country are begging their parents for more glue to make homemade slime.

Something slimy is going on in America. For months now, thousands of kids, from coast to coast, have been putting down their phones and iPads and putting their hands on something... goopier. That's because the new trend in middle and high schools is making — and sometimes selling — homemade slime of all colors, scents, and consistencies.

Some of their results resemble the "slime" or "gak" their parents grew up with — the slippery green stuff at birthday parties of yore. But most of the modern-day homemade versions are more similar to sweet-smelling Silly Putty in consistency and texture, and others could be called versions of Floam, the soft putty with tiny beads in it that give a satisfying crunch when you touch it.

Casey Duke started her business as a 14-year-old eighth grader at Landrum Middle School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Casey Duke, 14, is a slime entrepreneur and recipe reviewer. Her slimes vary in consistency, scents, and colors.
Casey Duke, 14, is a slime entrepreneur and recipe reviewer. Her slimes vary in consistency, scents, and colors. Julie Duke

After spotting a "very cool rainbow slime video" made by a user named PeachySlimes on her Instagram account's "Explore" page one day, she did a little Google investigating and decided to try to make it.

Using her own secret recipes that may include glue, foam hand soap, shaving cream, corn starch, foaming facial wash, scented hand sanitizer, lotion, and food dye, Casey now makes a variety of slime herself. She also adds special ingredients like glitter, nail art, foam beads, or sequins to make her foam interesting and unique. She sells the slime online through an Etsy store called Fruity Slime Factory.

Oh, and Casey has her own Instagram accountfor her slime business now too — with 81.2K followers after just over a year of business.

"Bubblegum slime and clear slime are a couple of my favorites because of their unique textures," Casey told TODAY Parents. "Bubblegum slime's fluffy texture is a bit harder to achieve with white glue. Clear slime is made with clear glue and is a thinner texture with a glossy appearance, which makes it one of my favorites."

Bubblegum slime is also a favorite of Simone LeForestier, a Sacramento eighth grader who began making her own slime in 2017 after determining the slimes her friends were selling were too expensive. "I've been obsessed with it ever since," she told TODAY Parents.

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Simone finds new slime recipes on YouTube, Google, and Instagram. She sells her slime to her friends on Instagram, and for right now, her school still allows slime to be sold on campus.

Seventh grader Simone LeForestier became "obsessed" with making slime a few months ago. Now she makes and sells it to friends when she isn\'t tending goal for her soccer team.
Seventh grader Simone LeForestier became "obsessed" with making slime a few months ago. Now she makes and sells it to friends when she isn\'t tending goal for her soccer team.Mary-Beth Moylan

But Casey's middle school, like many others around the country, banned the selling of slime after it became too distracting and sometimes left messy stains behind in the classrooms. On Etsy and both public and private Instagram accounts, a search for homemade slime brings up hundreds of responses at prices that vary widely by size and type, but mostly between $2.50 and $9.00 per container.

Both Casey and Simone said that making the slime is even more fun than playing with the finished product. "Many students have starting sharing ideas and new ways to make slime through Instagram and other methods of social media," said Casey. "I feel like making slime is the best part, and I never seem to get bored with coming up with new creations."

Casey's mom, Julie Duke, told TODAY Parents slime is taking over her house. "We find it in the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and end tables in the family room and even a container in the car at times," she said.

Casey Duke, 14, has created a slime-making factory and studio in her bedroom. She has 40,000 followers on Instagram after four months in the slime business.
Casey Duke, 14, has created a slime-making factory and studio in her bedroom. She has 40,000 followers on Instagram after four months in the slime business.Julie Duke

But the biggest challenge for the mom of a slime entrepreneur is keeping her stocked with ingredients. Recently, there have been numerous reports of slime-related Elmer's glue shortages in the media, and moms in New York, Texas, California, and the Midwest reported going on hunts for glue for their little slime-makers only to be met with empty shelves at their local stores.

Chris Lounsberry, a mom of two in Central Florida, recently resorted to buying a 20-gallon industrial size supply of glue from Office Depot for her slime entrepreneur daughter, Hayley, when she couldn't find it anywhere else.

But Julie Duke says it is not shortages, but instead the time and distance she has to travel to find the various ingredients, that is taking a toll on her. "Between her father and I, we have made many trips many times to many different stores and locations, including Amazon, in search of the various supplies Casey wants and needs to create her unique and special slime," Duke said.

Hayley Lounsberry of Longwood, Florida, makes slime in every color and consistency for her own use and for profit.
Hayley Lounsberry of Longwood, Florida, makes slime in every color and consistency for her own use and for profit.Chris Lounsberry

Near Boston, Massachusetts, Lori LaDuke's middle school aged daughter, Katherine, has both her mom and her friends shopping for slime supplies for her own slime creations. "She makes slime all of the time. She has a slime factory in her bedroom," said LaDuke. "A few of her friends bought her glue and shaving cream for Christmas because she used all of ours up. She was going to sell it but decided to give it as gifts to her friends instead."

Meanwhile, Casey Duke's slime-making business has taken over both her own room and her mother's office. "Her inventory began stacking up on her shelves as she organized it in various rows based on color, consistency, and ingredients," said her mom.

Casey's room has been rearranged to accommodate her supply of ingredients and containers for packaging. A six-drawer dresser full of supplies is the backdrop for filming her posts on Instagram. Shelves contain the supply of slime she has for sale and eventually will package for delivery. And her mom's home office has been rearranged as the packaging and postal center for Casey's operations.

Katherine LaDuke, 12, makes slime for her friends. Her mom can barely keep up with her supply needs, though.
Katherine LaDuke, 12, makes slime for her friends. Her mom can barely keep up with her supply needs, though.Lori LaDuke

Duke said all the effort is worth it. "I am very proud of Casey's ambitious nature and excitement over becoming the young entrepreneur she is today," she said. "It is very evident that she is in tune with the popularity and interest of slime among teenagers today and continues to research and watch videos daily on how to better her methods of creating unique slime."

Though some of the parents we interviewed complained about stained carpets and Tupperware lost forever to slime storage, most all of them agreed that this is an obsession they can get behind. Aside from the creative aspects, many of their children find playing with the slime therapeutic. Several of them added that there are worse trends for their kids to engage in, and this one at least is — pardon the pun — hands-on.

"Casey has developed an outside interest and hobby that doesn't include any dangerous or harmful outside influence," said Julie Duke. "At the same time, her creativity and learning about what it takes to become an entrepreneur at an early age is very important to me."

And if your kids want to get in on the fun, here's how to make your own slime thanks to Brooke Mahan of What's up Moms:

What you'll need:

1. 1 bottle of school glue

2. 1/2 teaspoon ofbaking soda

3. 1 to 2 tablespoons ofcontact solution

4. Food coloring

5. Mixing bowl

6. Spoon

7. Plastic container (for storage)

Pour a bottle of glue into a mixing bowl, add a 1/2 of a teaspoon of baking soda and mix it together. Add some drops of food coloring and then pour in the 1 to 2 tablespoons of contact or saline solution. You can add more depending on the consistency you're going for. Mix it all up and place in a plastic container to store in the refrigerator.

If you want to make a fluffier version, you can add in some shaving cream.

There's also a liquid starch version that you can make thanks to Little Bins for Little Hands:

What you'll need:

1. 1 bottle (4 ounces) of school glue

2. 1/2 cup ofliquid starch

3. 1/2 cup of water

4. Food coloring

5.Mixing bowl

6. Spoon

7. Plastic container (for storage)

Pour the glue and the water into a bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring of your choice and the liquid starch. Mix it all together and place in a plastic storage container and refrigerate.

You can shop all of the ingredients here:

Elmer's Glue (6-Pack), $9, Amazon

Amazon

Biotrue Contact Lens Solution, $16,Amazon

TODAY, image courtesy of merchant website

Barbasol Shaving Cream, $12, Amazon

Amazon

Purex Sta-Flo Liquid Starch, $16, Amazon

TODAY, image courtesy of merchant website

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, $8, Amazon

Amazon

McCormick Neon Food Coloring, $7, Amazon

Amazon

Kukpo Mixing Bowls, $18, Amazon

Amazon

Rubbermaid Storage Containers, $16,Amazon

Amazon

This article was published on March 1, 2017 on TODAY.com.

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