Goop

Bella and I had a sleepover and this morning we made "Goop," which was easy and marvelously successful. 

Update: On the advice of WalkingMarj I made a B&W version of yesterday's photo which I'm adding as an extra. I think getting rid of the colors makes their eyes (so very much alike) stand out wonderfully. Thanks, as always, to Marj. I've never gone wrong on one of her suggestions. 

For those who are interested, here's the recipe for Goop:

In one bowl combine

1 4-oz. bottle Elmer's all-purpose glue
1/2 cup foaming shaving cream
several squirts of fragrant hand lotion
food coloring as desired
mix with wooden stick or disposable spoon

In an other bowl combine

1/2 cup hot tap water
1Tablespoon Borax (sodium tetraborate)

Add 1-3 Tablespoons of Borax mixture to the first bowl, one T at a time. It will become gooey immediately. If it is sticky, add another T of borax. We are warned that more than 3T is not helpful, but we only used 3T, so we cannot confirm that. When it begins to be stiff, get rid of the spoon and dig in with fingers and hands, mushing it together. When it all sticks together in one big ball, slap it onto a cutting board and knead for as long as you like.

Keep in a sealed container (we used a ziploc bag, but a glass jar would probably be better), and it should last a week or two before it begins to harden. Be sure all participants are aware that the mixture is not edible and is impermanent (two important life lessons) and it will need to be thrown away when it hardens. It is, however, a delight to mush it around, tear it, smoosh it, stretch it, make shapes of it, make impressions in it, and generally go wild with its dough-like texture. 

Why not just make bread dough? you may wonder. Goop is easier than bread dough as it does not require yeast or rising time; it doesn't have to be cooked, it remains pliable for a week or two, it smells pleasant (thanks to the hand lotion), and as it is not edible, it adds no calories to your hips.