facebook
Edible flubber slime made from psyllium husk powder | Fizzics Education

Welcome!

Have 10% off on us on your first purchase - Use code NOW10

					

Edible flubber

Follow FizzicsEd 150 Science Experiments:

You Will Need:

  • One cup of cold water
  • Food colouring (optional)
  • One Teaspoon
  • Psyllium husk powder
  • A microwave-proof bowl
  • A microwave
  • Adult help.

Copyright

Edible flubber slime science experiment - materials needed
1 Edible flubber slime science experiment - adding blue food colouring to water

Pour the water and food colouring into the bowl and mix.

2 Edible flubber slime science experiment - adding psyllium husks to blue water

Add some psyllium husk powder and stir until it until the mixture had combine.

3 Edible flubber slime science experiment - materials into the microwave

Microwave on high for 5-9 minutes, the longer the heating process, the more rubbery the flubber gets. After the initial 2 minutes the goo tends to rise and overflow, stop the microwave each time it starts to do that and restart it after a few seconds.

Be careful – the mixture will be hot!

4 Edible flubber slime science experiment - pouring out hot slime onto a plate

Cautiously, and with the help of an adult, remove the bowl from the microwave and tip the content out onto a plate and let it cool.

5 Edible flubber slime science experiment - slimy blue slime

After it has cooled, pick up the slime and play.

6 A man watching bubbles pour out of a large measuring cylinder

Get the Unit of Work on States of Matter here!

  • What are the different states of matter?
  • How does heat affect the size of materials?
  • How does liquid nitrogen affect materials and much more!

Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more

Orange read more button

7 A student watching a purple liquid fizz
8 Teacher showing how to do an experiment outside to a group of kids.

Online courses for teachers & parents

– Help students learn how science really works

Orange read more button

How does the flubber slime form?

Psyllium is a type of seed, and its outer shell or husk is often used as a dietary fibre supplement (Metamucil, for example), or as a food thickener. The psyllium husk contains mucilage, or a gel-forming polysaccharide. This stuff is hydrophilic, which means it loves binding to water and therefore water-soluble. When you first combine the water and the psyllium husk powder, you may notice that it gets thicker and thicker. This is the mucilage at work! This flubber is made up of a colloidal suspension of a liquid (water) dispersed in a solid (psyllium husk particles). We then use heat to speed up the rate of dispersion by blasting the mixture in a microwave. If it overflows, don’t worry! It’s very easy to peel off and stuffed back into the bowl again, just use cutlery since it’s super hot! The resulting slime, once cooled, is cold and clammy to the touch, but comes off relatively clean. It does not self-heal, so after it has broken or been cut, it is difficult to stick the pieces back together again.

Note: While this slime is edible, mass consumption is not recommended. Check the label on your psyllium husk powder to find serving suggestions.

For more slime recipes, check out our comprehensive guide to SLIME!

Variables to test

More on variables here

  • Change the heat of the water. Does it make a difference?
  • Change the amount of psyllium husks that you use.
  • Grind the psyllium husks in a coffee grinder vs adding them whole
  • Does changing the power setting on your microwave change the consistency of the slime?

A man with a glove above a liquid nitrogen vapour cloud

Learn more!

Comments

2 thoughts on “Edible flubber

  1. This is fantastic! Any tips on storage? Will it last for a few days in the fridge? Many thanks.

    1. Hi Joanne!
      This slime will last a day or so before it dries out if you refrigerate it (it’ll keep longer if you store in an airtight container with plastic wrap around it). In regards to it being edible, we’d treat this as not that much different to a salad as it’s primary ingredient is psyllium husk… we wouldn’t recommend storing it for eating longer than a day. Have fun with it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.