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It’s Slime Time!

From social media to conventions, slime is a big business

October 21, 2019

By Dani Leviss

The air at Slime Mania smells like fries, but it’s hard to tell if you’re smelling real fries or fry-scented slime! Slime Mania is a tour hosted by the Queen of Slime, Karina Garcia. At a recent New Jersey stop, 1,800 kids and parents played with—and bought—slime from 93 vendors.

Slime is a toy that behaves like neither a liquid nor a solid. Scientists call these substances non-Newtonian fluids. Others include Silly Putty, Oobleck, and floam. Slime is easy to make at home, and many people have joined in on the slime trend (see The Science of Slime).

The air at Slime Mania smells like french fries. But it’s hard to tell if you’re smelling real fries. It could be fry-scented slime! Slime Mania is a tour hosted by Karina Garcia. She’s known as the Queen of Slime. Her tour recently stopped in New Jersey. About 1,800 kids and parents attended. Ninety-three vendors had slime for sale.

This slime that people play with is a special kind of substance. It doesn’t act quite like a liquid or a solid. Similar gooey substances include Silly Putty and Oobleck. Slime is easy to make at home. As a result, many people have joined in on the slime trend (see The Science of Slime).

THE SCIENCE OF SLIME

YOU WILL NEED

Glue • Water • Activator • Mix-ins

WHAT TO DO

Mix 1 cup glue with 1 cup water.

Carefully add 1 teaspoon activator.

Stir the mixture and add mix-ins.

Play with your new slime!

Store in an airtight container.

WHY IT WORKS

Glue is a polymer, or substance made of long molecule chains. These chains slide past each other when you pour it. The activator tangles up the glue’s molecule chains, making it harder for the chains to slide. Borax is a common activator, but it’s toxic in large quantities and should be handled carefully. Contact lens solution is one alternative activator.

THE SCIENCE OF SLIME

YOU WILL NEED

Glue • Water • Activator • Mix-ins

WHAT TO DO

Mix 1 cup glue with 1 cup water.

Carefully add 1 teaspoon activator.

Stir the mixture and add mix-ins.

Play with your new slime!

Store in an airtight container.

WHY IT WORKS

Garcia posted her first slime-making video to YouTube in 2015. The next year, slime exploded on Instagram, where a community of slimers formed. After attending slimer meet-up events, Garcia wanted to start a convention tour: Slime Mania. Attendees can meet slime superstars like Garcia. They can also go to workshops, attend panels, and shop from vendors. “Literally 99% of my life revolves around slime,” she says.

Many slime vendors are kids themselves. They run businesses online and visit conventions to sell their slime. Hard work can pay off for young “slimepreneurs.” Garcia says one young girl sold out at the New Jersey slime convention, making $8,000 in one day. “It’s crazy,” she says. “That’s a lot of money.”

Garcia takes videos of herself making slime. She posted her first one to YouTube in 2015. Slime became popular on Instagram the next year. A community of “slimers” formed on the platform.

Garcia attended events to meet other slimers. She soon realized she wanted to start her own tour. Slime Mania attendees can meet slime superstars like Garcia. They can learn new techniques from other slimers and buy new slime. “Literally 99 percemt of my life revolves around slime,” Garcia says.

Many slime sellers are kids themselves. They run businesses online and sell their slime at special events. Hard work can pay off for these young slimers. Garcia says one young girl sold out of her slime at the New Jersey event. The girl made $8,000 in one day. “It’s crazy,” says Garcia. “That’s a lot of money.”

CREATING A BUDGET

Lauren Ferguson, 15, owns a slime shop called Borax Buddies Slime. Lauren spends 25 hours each week making slime, shipping it to customers, posting to Instagram, and more. “We didn’t know it could be as big as this,” she says.

See how Lauren budgets her expenses (money spent on supplies) and income (money received for selling products) for her online shop.

EXAMPLE

The budget chart below shows Lauren’s planned expenses and income. What will be her profit (money you keep after expenses)?

DO THE MATH

Subtract the total expenses for making slime from the total income to find the profit.

$504 – $218 = $286

So Lauren’s total profit would be $286.

CREATING A BUDGET

See how Lauren budgets her expenses (money spent on supplies) and income (money received for selling products) for her online shop.

EXAMPLE

The budget chart below shows Lauren’s planned expenses and income. What will be her profit (money you keep after expenses)?

DO THE MATH

Subtract the total expenses for making slime from the total income to find the profit.

$504 – $218 = $286

So Lauren’s total profit would be $286.

Use the information below to complete a budget to attend a slime convention. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Slime ingredients cost $72. Jars are $100, and labels cost $27. What is your total slime production cost? Add this to the budget chart.

A . The hotel room costs $140 per night, and your family plans to stay 2 nights. What is your total hotel cost?

B. The round-trip drive to the convention center costs $76. What is your total travel & hotel cost? Add this to the budget.

The vendor booth fee is $100. Add that to the budget and determine your total expenses.

You sell Ice Mountain and Galaxy slimes individually for $10 each. How much money will you take in for each slime type in the quantities shown? Add these to the budget chart.

You also sell a slime set called Fries With Ketchup for $15 per set. How much money will you take in? Add this to the budget chart. Then find your total income.

What is your net profit? If it took you 50 hours to prepare and sell your slime at the convention, how much money did you profit per hour?

Continue the Learning Journey

Imagine you are going to a slime convention. Make a list of the different types of slime you want to take to sell. Design a label for your slimes. Determine how much you'll sell each type for and explain how you decided on that price.

Continue the Learning Journey

Imagine you are going to a slime convention. Make a list of the different types of slime you want to take to sell. Design a label for your slimes. Determine how much you'll sell each type for and explain how you decided on that price.

Financial Literacy

Budgets

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Click the Google Quiz button below to share an interactive version of the questions with your class. Click Download PDF for the non-interactive blank answer sheet.

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