We're back with round two of "How to Make Slime", but this time it's Crunchy Slime. Now, you can put just about anything in the slime mixture to make it crunchy. For this DIY tutorial we used smalls beads; however we've also made it with the same foam beads we used in our slime ball popsicle stick bracelet craft.

What we love most about this recipe is that it's made with contact lens solution instead of Borax. As long as the saline solution you want to use contains the ingredient "Boric Acid" or "Sodium Borate" your crunchy slime will turn out just fine. Again, make sure that you see either "Boric Acid" or "Sodium Borate" in the ingredients. If not, look for the word “Buffered” on the package. If it reads this, you'll be okay.

Now, if you're new to making slime "Boric Acid" is the activator in any slime recipe. This is the secret ingredient that turns the glue & baking soda mixture into slime. It also can be put in your hands during the kneading process to make the slime less sticky and remove the glue from your hands quicker. Be careful though, too much contact solution will make for a snappy, NOT STRETCHY, slime.

Overall, we found this crunchy slime recipe to be totally satisfying. The kids enjoyed making batch after batch using different items to make crunchy slime: plastic straws cut in pieces, small fishbowl beads even rubber bands. So be willing to get messy, experiment and have fun!

ITEMS NEEDED TO MAKE CRUNCHY SLIME:
• 1/2 a bottle of Elmer's Glue
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 small package of beads
• Acrylic paint color of your choice
• Saline Solution with Boric Acid
• Bowl
• Spoon

HOW TO MAKE CRUNCHY SLIME WITH BEADS!

STEP 1:  Squeeze 1/2 a bottle of Elmer's School Glue into your bowl and add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.

STEP 2:   Add a few drops of acrylic paint.

STEP 3:  Stir the acrylic paint. The more paint drops you add the crunchy slime mixture the brighter your slime will be in color. Just continue adding drops of paint until you get the desired color.

STEP 4:  Add the beads to your slime mixture and stir. We added about 1/2 cup of beads. 

NOW THE FUN PART, ACTIVATE YOUR CRUNCHY SLIME!

STEP 5:  Add a few squirts of saline solution to the slime mixture and stir again. We started with 1 teaspoon, but you can add more if you feel like your crunchy slime isn't pulling away from the bowl. 

STEP 6:  Stir the crunchy slime mixture for about a minute or two. To help the slime pull apart from the sides of the bowl add a little more contact lens solution. This is the science step kids love!

STEP 7:  When your crunchy slime begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, begin to the knead the mixture with your hands. While kneading, add small drops of contact lens solution in your hands to make the slime less sticky. We demonstrate this step in our How to Make Fluffy Slime video.

STEP 8:  Continue kneading the crunchy slime mixture and watch it transform before your eyes.

STEP 9:  Crunchy slime has a different texture than fluffy slime. It's easier to stretch and spread and super fun to squeeze with your hands.

If the whole slime making process sounds scary, don't worry...watch this video we made on How to Make Fluffy Slime for inspiration!