Homemade Slime Shop
Mix, color and package your own slime recipes: kitchen chemistry kids love to buy.
- Ages
- 8–12
- Startup budget
- $105–$205
- Time per week
- About 3 hours
- Parent involvement
- Moderate
- Preparation
- Some prep
- Type
- Product
- Where to sell
- In person
- Time to start
- 2 weekends of recipe testing
About this idea
Slime is one of the most popular kid-made products, and it’s real chemistry: glue and an activator link together to turn a liquid into a stretchy solid. Every new texture is an experiment.
It also comes with real responsibilities. Slime is a children’s product, so safe ingredients, clear labels and an adult measuring the activator matter.
A great fit for
- Kids who love experiments and mess
- Fans of colors, glitter and textures
- Families happy to supervise kitchen chemistry
What you’ll need
| Item | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| PVA school glue (1 gallon) | $20 |
| Contact lens saline solution (activator) | $6 |
| Baking soda | $2 |
| Containers with lids (24-pack) | $10 |
| Colors, glitter and add-ins | $8 |
| Labels | $4 |
| Subtotal | $50 |
Assumes: Enough for about 30 containers of slime. Uses kitchen bowls and spoons you already have (keep them for slime only).
| Item | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Market table feePer event. Kids’ markets typically charge $10–50; some are free | $25 |
| TableclothA bright color makes the table stand out | $10 |
| Display stand or risersGives products height so customers notice them | $15 |
| Sign and price cards | $5 |
| Pop-up tentOptionalOnly for outdoor markets without shade. Borrowing one works too | $100 |
| Subtotal (without optional) | $55 |
Bring about $20 in small bills and coins for change. You get it back, so it isn’t counted as a cost. Selling to family and friends first? You can skip these until your first market.
Total to start selling at a market
$105$205 with optional extras
What parents do
Parent involvement: ModerateRegular help with some steps, printing or online sales
- Buy the glue and activator
- Measure the activator and supervise mixing
- Check the rules for selling children’s products
- Drive to markets
Your child: about 3 hours a week making, selling and planning once it’s up and running.
Step by step
Learn one basic recipe
With an adult, make a simple glue, baking soda and saline slime. Follow the recipe exactly the first few times.
Experiment and record
Change one thing at a time (more glue, less activator, a new add-in) and write down the result. Find two or three textures you love.
Name your flavors
Fun names like “Ocean Cloud” or “Galaxy Crunch” make slime more exciting to buy.
Package and label
Fill containers to the same level, seal them and add a label with the ingredients and “Not for children under 3. Do not eat.”
Bring a tester
A sealed tester tub customers can squish sells slime better than any sign.
Costs & pricing example
Cost to make one container
$1.55
Example price
$5
Profit per container
$3.45
How we worked out the cost of one container
- Glue$0.80
- Activator and baking soda$0.10
- Color and add-ins$0.20
- Container$0.40
- Label$0.05
If your child sells 30 containers at $5, that’s $150 in sales and about $103.50 profit after materials. The $105 startup cost, including a first market table, is earned back after about 31 containers.
Bigger tubs or “slime of the month” specials can be $7–8.
These numbers are illustrative examples, not guaranteed earnings. Prices vary by supplier and location.
Where to sell
Children’s markets
Slime is a bestseller with young shoppers; bring testers.
Friends and family
Great for testing which textures are most popular.
School fairs (with permission)
Some schools don’t allow slime, so always ask first.
Skills your child will build
- Scientific method
- Measuring and ratios
- Product naming and branding
- Quality control
Common challenges
- Slime too sticky or too stiff
- Try this: Add activator a few drops at a time. Too stiff usually means too much activator, so start a new batch.
- Slime drying out
- Try this: Seal lids tightly and tell customers to keep it closed when not playing.
Safety & parent notes
- Adult supervision
- Handles chemicals
- Check local rules
- Saline and borax-based activators contain boric acid. An adult should measure the activator, and everyone should wash hands after playing.
- Label every container “Not for children under 3. Do not eat,” and list the ingredients.
- In the US, products made for children 12 and under fall under Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) rules, which can include testing and labeling. Check the CPSC’s small-business guidance before selling regularly.
A note for parents
Treat it like a science lab: one notebook, one set of slime-only tools and a clean-up routine. Your child gets the fun of inventing; you keep the activator.
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