In full disclosure, SmartLab Toys provided us with science kits in exchange for our honest review.
It’s icky, it’s gooey, it’s slimy, it’s gross!! It’s science!
At Mommy University, we love science! We especially love hands-on learning experiences where kids can be fully engaged in the learning process. What’s more engaging and fun than overflowing toilets, green slime and dancing goop?
We recently received two amazing and disgusting science kits from one of our favorite brain boosting companies, SmartLab Toys. Both kits offer hours of hands-on learning fun that engages all the senses. By using materials already available like vinegar, baking soda, soap and borax, we were able to make numerous slimy experiments that my kids loved. They also were able to be active participants in the creation of each one.
That’s Gross Science Lab
That’s Gross Science Lab comes with a variety of gross lab equipment such as a biohazard container, garbage can with lid, barf, centipede and maggot molds, worm spoon, bubble beakers with slime stand and, our favorite, the toilet mixer. The lab also comes with an instruction book full of fun and gross experiments. The experiments provided are easy to understand and follow. The pictures also made it easier for the kids to follow along and understand which step came next. This made them active participants instead of just bystanders while the experiments were conducted.
We completed several experiments listed in the book. We also got creative and altered one slightly to add to the excitement and learning. I really appreciated all the scientific facts and explanations provided inside the manual. This allowed my kids to learn why the reactions took place and how to relate them to real life occurrences. Here are a few the experiments we found disgustingly fun:
Potty Putty
Kids love making slime, and making slime in a small toilet is even more disgusting and fun. All we needed was glue, borax, water and food coloring to create a gooey, slimy and stretchy slime that could be scooped right out of the toilet for further investigation. It was a great lesson in polymers.
Naked Egg
My kids loved this experiment the most since it lasted over the course of 3 days. We placed an egg in the garbage can and covered it with vinegar. We put the can in the fridge for 24 hours before investigating the reaction. Then we emptied the vinegar and refilled it for another 24 hours of soaking. On the third day, the kids had so much fun investigating and examining the new egg. We learned all about chemical reactions and the process of osmosis.
How cool is this egg after being soaked in vinegar?
We also added to this experiment by adding food coloring. I had the kids make up hypotheses of what they thought would happen to the egg. It was amazing to see the color the egg turned after soaking in the vinegar. It sparked a great deal of conversations especially listing what we thought the egg looked like.
What does this egg look like to you?
Overflowing Toilet Emergency
If your kids love making volcanoes then they will love this experiment. By just combining baking soda, vinegar, water and food coloring, kids will squeal in laughter as they see the toilet overflow. By “flushing” the toilet, the ingredients mix together and erupt over the toilet. This sparked a conversation all about chemical reactions.
It’s Alive Slime Lab
The second kit we received was It’s Alive Slime Lab. It comes with a mixing cup, goop scoop, slime stick, wave dome, dropper, graduated cylinder and Slime-O-Nator. It also comes with an instruction booklet full of disgusting experiments that allow kids to make a variety of slime and goop. While creating slime, kids will also learn new vocabulary terms such as viscosity, cohesion, elasticity and cross-linker. Kids also gain skills in measurement by using the cylinder and goop scoop.
The experiments use a variety of household ingredients such as borax, white glue, water, baking soda, food coloring, cornstarch and vinegar. Not only do kids learn about making slime, they also are introduced to color mixing which is a great way to spark conversations about art. In addition, slime is a wonderful sensory tool that helps increase fine motor skills. Here are a few of the slimy experiments we enjoyed:
Franken-Slimes
For this experiment, we combined cornstarch and water and added it to the Slime-O-Nator. When we turned it on, we watched how the mixture reacted to the vibrations. We took notice to the differences between fast and slow speeds and made predictions of what would happen.
When the Slime-O-Nator was turned on we saw how the slime reacted to the vibrations.
Technicolor Slime
To create colored slime, we added food coloring to the Franken-Slime above. We then turned on the Slime-O-Nater and watched as the colors mixed together as the slime vibrated. It was a great lesson in color mixing and polymers.
It was so cool to see how the colors all swirled together.
The Blob’s Slimy Brother
To make this slime, we combined white glue, liquid starch, water and food coloring. This experiment was a fun way to learn about cohesion, elasticity and cross-linked polymers. It also allowed kids to engage in sensory learning as they stretched, squeezed and squished the homemade slime.
From disgusting smells to sticky and stretchy slime, kids will have a blast making gross experiments that engage all the senses. Your little scientists will learn all about chemical reactions, osmosis, electricity and even polymer chains. Although the sets are recommended for kids ages 8 and up, my 3 and 6 year olds had a blast making slime and mixing colors (with adult supervision of course).
Both kits make for wonderful birthday and holiday gifts as well as prizes for good report card grades! That’s Gross Science Lab and It’s Alive Slime Lab can be purchased for under $25 on Amazon (affiliate links).