A few days back, I brought the kids to a glow-in-the-dark slime-making workshop. Initially, I felt it was pretty cool and the kids had lots of fun. All was good until when they were playing with the slime, it got stuck on their shirts and I just couldn't remove it. So, I researched a little on it.
And that was when I realise the slimes created were environmentally unfriendly. Basically, to create slime, it requires a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) glue which is a synthetic plastic polymer that does not biodegrade. Also, I started to wonder what happens when we wash our hands to remove the little slime particles and they get stuck in the drainage pipes.
Guilt honestly started to creep in. And I explained to the children why this would be the last slime we would ever make. My kids were pretty mature about it and agreed with me. My husband tried to comfort me (cos I was beating myself pretty badly about it) that there were way more environmentally-unfriendly actions I engage in. I just couldn't help but think if I had known, I wouldn't engage.
On a completely separate and unrelated note, I was very impressed with the staff of Elmers. They do have a lot of passion in what they do, making the magic come alive for the kids. My daughter's plastic cracked when it dropped on the floor. Despite packing up already, they literally unpacked, just to get another plastic container for her to store her creation. Their glue is now my top choice (apart from my highly positive interactions with heir staff) is because it is non-toxic, safe for children and have interesting variety. (P.S. I realise glitter is not eco-friendly too, I am now suffering from another breakdown.)
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