A truly foolproof recipe to make glow in the dark slime using Elmer’s Magical Liquid!
2 Ingredient Glow in the Dark Slime
We make a LOT of slime in our house. It’s one of our favorite sensory play activities! Plus, the girls and I love to experiment with new combinations of ingredients and brand new slime recipes — even edible slime recipes!
However, when you experiment with slime, there will be a lot of “slime fails” too. It comes with the territory! And if you’ve made a lot of slime in your house too, then you’ve likely experienced some slime fails like us.
That’s why I was intrigued when I heard about Elmer’s Magical Liquid, which allows you to make slime, like our glow in the dark slime, with only two ingredients!
There’s no need to mix up multiple ingredients, which means there are fewer variables and fewer chances to make mistakes.
Are slime fails a thing of the past??
Related: Use this glow in the dark slime to make our glowing Galaxy Slime!
What IS Elmer’s Magical Liquid?
Elmer’s Magical Liquid is an all-in-one slime activator. It’s the “magic” ingredient that turns your regular old glue into super stretchy slime! You can make slime without the hassle of complicated recipes!
*Just a quick note that this is not a sponsored post. We are simply huge slime fans and wanted to try out a new slime activator we saw and share the results with you in case you want to try it too.
Slime made with Elmer’s Magical Liquid will be similar in texture to slime made with contact solution and baking soda. The main difference is that instead of measuring and mixing multiple ingredients, you only need two: glue and Elmer’s Magical Liquid.
According to Elmer’s website, Elmer’s Magical Liquid is “safe, washable and nontoxic” and each bottle makes 4 batches of slime.
Keep reading to see how we made our 2-ingredient glow in the dark slime, plus our verdict on Elmer’s Magical Liquid!
For your convenience in re-creating our easy glow in the dark slime, we’ve included shop-able ad links to the products we used. Our disclosure policy is available here.
What You Need
You only need two ingredients for this glowing slime recipe! How awesome is that?!
Does Elmer’s Magical Liquid work with any glue?
When making slime, we generally stick with Elmer’s Glue because it produces the best results. However, you can use some other brands, so long as they are PVA glue.
PVA stands for polyvinyl acetate and is a type of polymer that reacts with Elmer’s Magical Liquid (or other slime activators) to create stretchy slime.
Non-PVA glues use other types of adhesives and won’t have the right chemical properties to make slime.
What is the best slime activator?
Slime making doesn’t get much easier than this! If you want to make slime in a hurry and don’t want to take a chance messing up, this is a great alternative to traditional slime recipes. Also, Elmer’s Magical Liquid is less expensive than many contact lens solution brands.
I especially love that this glow in the dark slime doesn’t require a black light to work. It actually glows so strongly that you can see it glowing without turning out all the lights!
While I still love the “science experiment” aspect of mixing up slime recipes with multiple ingredients, if you want the easiest glow in the dark slime recipe, this is it!
If you can’t find Elmer’s Magical Liquid, try either of these easy slime recipes made with different activators:
All you have to do is swap out the regular glue used in either of the above recipes with glow in the dark glue!
How to Make Glow in the Dark Slime Using Elmer’s Magical Liquid
Empty an entire 5 ounce bottle of Elmer’s Glow in the Dark Glue into your mixing bowl. You can use any color of glow in the dark glue you like.
Next, measure out 1/4 cup of Elmer’s Magical Liquid and add to the mixing bowl with the glow in the dark glue. Mix will with a spoon or spatula. Slime will begin to form into a cohesive ball as you stir.
Finish kneading slime by hand. If slime still seems a bit sticky, add another teaspoon of Elmer’s Magical Liquid and continue mixing until slime no longer sticks to hands. (You may end up using anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup Elmer’s Magical Liquid, depending on the consistency you like for your slime).
Now it’s time to play with your glow in the dark slime!
You can even add little figurines to your slime! Spiders and other creepy-crawlies would be perfect for glow in the dark Halloween slime!
Related: For a taste-safe alternative, try our Edible Glow in the Dark Slime here!
A Couple Notes
- The Elmer’s Magical Liquid packaging recommends using 1/4 cup per bottle of glue. We started with 1/4 cup Elmer’s Magical Liquid, but found that we actually ended up using closer to 1/2 cup to keep slime from sticking to hands.
- Be sure to make sure that you’re playing with your glow in the dark slime in an area that is easy to clean up, with non-stick surfaces.
- This slime is an awesome Halloween slime! See our collection of 50 Halloween slime recipes here!
Is Elmer’s Activator Safe?
The actual “recipe” for Elmer’s Magical Liquid is top secret! However, it is billed as a safe, non-toxic alternative to other slime activators such as borax.
Even though it is non-toxic, you’ll still want to be sure to follow basic slime safety procedures:
- This slime is not edible. Please do not taste or eat.
- Always supervise children when making and playing with any slime recipe.
- As with many slime recipes, this involves a chemical reaction. Some ingredients may cause irritation to sensitive skin. Wash hands thoroughly after play.
- Read this first: click here to read all of our tips to make slime safely.
For glue-free slime alternatives, check out our complete guide: How to Make Slime (without Glue or Borax)
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sophia says
wow so cool
Andrea says
Hi I need help! We are new to making slime. I bought the Elmer’s magical liquid plus a bottle of their glitter glue for my daughter to make slime. Our slime didn’t turn out though, it’s become rubbery & breaks/snaps when you stretch it out, have I added too much magical liquid or not enough…? How can I fix it? Thanks,
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Andrea – my guess is that you added a bit too much of the magical liquid and the slime is over-activated. You can try mixing in a bit of warm water to soften the slime. Some say that hair gel or lotion works too. For the next batch, I’d add the activator slowly, and give it a few minutes of kneading before adding more. Hope this helps!
Diana says
Mine did the very same thing, same as my contact solution. But I found using water in the glue to dilute it first really helped.
April says
How long does the glow last? And approximately how much does one batch make? I was thinking about making these as party favors, so I’d like to get a jump start on it …but I don’t want them to stop glowing!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I’m pretty sure that the glow lasts as long as the slime does – the glow comes from the glow in the dark glue, and that sits on store shelves for a while. One batch makes enough for 2 kids to play with. The main thing if you’re making slime a day or two in advance is to keep it in an airtight container until you’re ready to play. Hope this helps!