Gravity-defying Silly Slime Hat

Here's a silly hat your kids would love to wear and perhaps never want to take off.

As it would be impossible to turn real, flowing slime into a hat, this gravity-defying silly slime hat is made from silicone putty. Unlike real slime, silicone putty is moldable, which means it doesn't flow and keeps its shape as you work with it. It also dries soft to the touch and is very pliable. This project requires few simple supplies that you have in your home and costs little to make. I made this hat for about $6. It is a speedy process, too, and you or your littles can have your very own in a matter of minutes from start to finish!

For the Silicone Putty, you'll need:

A 10 oz tube of 100% Silicone 1 in Clear and caulking gun

Food color

About 1/2 cup of dish soap

About 2-1/2 quarts of water in a large container

Disposable bowl and spoon

For molding the hat, you'll need:

A fitting hat

Rags or t-shirts or cloths as fillers

Plastic wrap

Rubber band

Wire

Small empty container

You will only be using the hat as a molding form. First, fill the hat with rags or t-shirts or cloths until it is fully domed and firm. Then place a couple of sheets of plastic wrap to cover the hat. Secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band.

For the gravity-defying slime container, you will need wire armature.

Bend your wire into something like a Z-shape as shown. It must be able to fit inside the small container (for the part that is the slime in the container), then fold down (for the "flow" of slime), then fold sideways (for the part that secures to the hat).

Prepare your empty container by securely taping it to and supporting it against a tall, secure object. I used a filled bottle. Tape and secure the container such that it will be the exact finished height above the hat.

Silicone putty is typically used to make molds and there are various ways to make silicone putty online. I am using the method of submerging the silicone in a water-dish soap mixture. The submersion of silicone in water activates the silicone and makes it possible to hold it. The dish soap prevents the silicone from sticking to your hands.

1. Mix and combine the dish soap and water in a large container.

2. Squeeze out entire contents of silicone tube into a disposable bowl.

3. Add food color one drop at a time and quickly mix with a disposable spoon until your desired color is achieved.

As soon as the silicone touches the food color, YOU MUST WORK QUICKLY.

4. Quickly scoop colored silicone into water-dish soap mixture.

5. Quickly knead silicone while submerged. You might need to add dish soap to your hands if the silicone is too sticky. Gloves usually stick to the silicone, so I used my hands. Knead until soft and pliable, BUT DO NOT EXCEED 3 MINUTES OF KNEADING. The more it is kneaded and submerged in water, the quicker it cures.

Still working VERY QUICKLY to avoid silicone from curing while you work:

1. Add dish soap to your hands so the silicone doesn't stick.

2. Place some silicone inside the container and press down with your hands.

3. Stick the wire into the silicone inside the container.

4. Form the silicone on the vertical part of the wire to show the "flow" of the slime.

5.Using a patting motion, pat the rest of the silicone on the hat until it is about 1/4" thick and covers most of the hat. You can add more dish soap to your hands to create a smooth finish.

6. Carefully pull the edges of the silicone to make drip shapes.

THIS ENTIRE PROCESS SHOULD LAST ABOUT ONLY 3 MINUTES, otherwise the silicone will start to cure.

After the silicone cures (it takes less than 10 minutes, but I waited 30 for good measure), remove the tape from the support and from the "slime" container.

My container had adhesive goo all over it which I couldn't remove and my daughter wanted a Silly Slime Time label on the container. It was a great way to hide the sticker goo on the container.

Remove the slime hat from the hat form. You can secure the hat on the back of the head with a couple of hair pins. Now wear it and be silly!