There are plenty of science experiments you can't safely try from the comfort of your own home, so it's pretty exciting when you come across an awesome demonstration on YouTube that you actually can try out for yourself - like creating this bizarre magnetic putty.
The end result is pretty much the same as magnetic putties you can buy in novelty stores for around US$15, but seeing as - let's be real - you're likely to get bored of playing around with the goo about an hour after you've created it, why not do it yourself on the cheap with easy-to-find (and cheap) ingredients. All it takes is about 20 minutes.
As Dave Hax - the YouTuber who showed us how to create a rocket out of a matchstick - explains, all you need to achieve hours of magnetic entertainment is some Elmer's craft glue (or another type of PVA glue), a bowl, Borax (sodium borate) powder, and iron filings.
Put on some safety googles and a lab coat, and you've got yourself an afternoon of good, clean, scientific fun. Oh, and don't forget an assortment of magnets so you can play around with your magnetic slime once it's ready.
So for those of you playing along at home, to start with, you first need to empty out your tube of glue into a bowl, and then rinse out the tube with water to make sure it's totally cleaned out.
You then need to make up your Borax mixture either by putting a tablespoon of Borax into a small jug of water, or by simply buying a dishwashing detergent or liquid starch with Borax in it, such as Tide (just check the ingredients list at the supermarket). Then add either the detergent or the Borax mix slowly into your glue bowl, stirring as you go.
Gradually, the mix will start to get clumpy and slimy, and once all the Borax is in there, you should be able to start mixing and shaping it with your hands until you have a neat, maleable little ball of slime.
To make it magnetic, just add your iron filings to the ball and then knead it through like bread, so it's evenly mixed and the whole thing becomes a light, speckled grey colour. Check out the video above to see how your end result should look.
Now this is where the fun starts, because you can take a magnet and watch as the magnetic slime creeps towards it. And if you use two magnets, it actually leaps up and forms a strange-looking white clump.
If you happen to have some small neodynamium batteries at home, you can also make the slime eat them up like Pac Man, which Dave Hax shows in glorious sped-up footage in the video.
The only downside of this home-made slime is that it doesn't last overnight, but that's fine, because who really wants to keep playing with it after that first day? Plus, we always think making a science experiment is half the fun… Enjoy!