Recycling: Reuse slime cans

by Jessica Schlegel (Bachelor of Education) for Avocadoslimeez

Unfortunately, slimes don't last forever - but you can reuse the containers! There are many useful and creative ways to use your slime containers of all sizes in new and different ways. Resources  be protected, useful gadgets created, and creative crafting ideas implemented. What's great about them: the containers are leak-proof! I tested it on a kitchen towel with water. Even tapping and shaking them worked: nothing came out. They are also transparent, but the containers can also be made opaque. Now I've collected a few ways for you how the plastic slime containers can be used. I'll start with the ideas that don't change the container itself much, meaning it retains its shape and that you can theoretically  This way, you can use the same can for many different things. It's important to note that, to be on the safe side, you shouldn't put any food in the cans.

Summary of ideas: (other) storing slime, gift wrapping, Advent calendar, scavenger hunt, storage container for everyday and vacation items (e.g., jewelry, small items, washing powder, baking soda, soap), water container for watercolor painting. You can read the implementation and detailed description in the following text.

Cleaning slime containers

In preparation for all ideas, the cans must be thoroughly cleaned and the stickers removed. You can first put any large residue in a garbage bag and then wipe the can with a tissue. Once there's as little slime as possible in the can, you can rinse it out. Tip for particularly runny slimes: You can overactivate the slime with activator so much that it simply "slips" out of the can. Adults can use benzine, for example, to remove adhesive residue from the stickers.

Ideas with Slime

The small containers in the test kits are great for storing your own slime creations. For example, if you've always wondered if you can mix a jelly slime and a cloud slime, you can tear off some of these two slimes, knead them together, and if you like the result, store it in the washed-out small slime container. You can also store excess slime if you've inflated a slime a lot while playing and it no longer fits completely into its original container. 

Reusable gift wrapping

Our first real craft idea: You can use the medium and large slime tins as gift wrapping! You can be creative with them and create the most personalized designs for the recipient. If you have some nice craft paper, gift wrap, or even colored paper, you can cut a strip the size of the tin, long enough to wrap around the tin. Then cut a circle out of the paper to fit the bottom of the tin. To do this, place the tin on the paper and trace the outline with a pencil, preferably on the less attractive side of the paper. Next, place both inside the tin so that the attractive side of the paper is visible from the outside. For the bottom, you can decide whether you want the attractive side to be visible from the bottom or from the inside. You can also make a round topper for the top of the lid yourself. Depending on the size of the tin and the gift, you can give other fidget toys, jewelry, stamps, washi tape, or other small items.

If you give the tin as a gift, the recipient can continue to use it as gift wrapping or use one of the many other ways to reuse the tin.

If you have enough tins, you could even make a refillable Advent calendar or clue tins for a scavenger hunt - using the same principle of the gift appearance. To ensure that nothing is seen through, you could cut out paper with a question mark pattern and place it in the tins as described above. If necessary, you could even stick numbers on the lids to prevent the tins from being found and opened in the wrong order. You could then put notes with clues inside or, for example, small objects that lead the searchers to the next clue. One example would be to put a cherry (real or toy) in the tin, which then leads the searchers to the cherry tree where they will find the next clue. 

For this craft, I used stamps from Sommerabend and CreativeBargen - so you can decorate your tins even more!🤍

Useful in everyday life and when traveling

The container can also be used for everyday storage. This way, you'll never lose hair ties again if they have a designated place (okay, you'll lose less...). Hairpins and clips also fit perfectly in the containers, as do jewelry, dead batteries, change, and anything else that's lying around.

The same useful storage tip is also perfect for vacation! For example, your favorite jewelry can be perfectly stored in the tin while traveling. This way, it's safe from getting crushed or lost. To keep things really organized, you can cut out circles from paper (use the tin as a template), then "stick" your earrings into them, and attach the earring posts from underneath. This way, you don't have to rummage through everything to find a pair. You can stack several paper circles on top of each other; as many as will fit in the tin.

Another travel tip is washing powder! Since the containers can also contain slime, you can store all your powdered and liquid items loosely and safely in them. Especially when traveling in hot weather, some shirts can only be worn once or twice. If you're traveling for a week or longer, you can pack a few spoonfuls of washing powder into a cleaned slime container, keeping your washing powder securely sealed and requiring fewer shirts, pants, and underwear. This saves you from having to buy a whole pack of detergent on vacation and then have it left over. It's also especially practical for allergy sufferers who can't just buy anything on vacation on a whim. Other powdered items that are sometimes quite useful on vacation are baking soda (for smelly shoes) or citric acid powder (for cleaning, descaling, etc.). You can also carry solid shampoo or soap in your travel bag in the slime containers. To dry, you can place the solid shampoo on the lid, for example, so that more air can reach it. 

This brings us to our next tip, which is especially interesting for artists (or children/parents): a slime container makes a great water container for painting with watercolors on the go. Depending on the colors you use, you can carry several containers of fresh water with you, so you can take the dirty water with you and dispose of it properly at home (especially important for glitter/metallic paints).

toy

You can also use the slime container as a pool for small dolls or Playmobil figures. If you stick small, homemade labels on them, the containers are also perfect for a small shop or play kitchen. You could sell, for example, felt noodles or green and red beads that look like peas or berries in a jar. Be sure to consider the age of the children playing with it, as beads, for example, are small parts that can be swallowed. To make it extra safe, you can also print out pictures of preserves, cut them out like gift wrapping, and place or glue them inside the slime container. Finally, attach a label to the outside, and you're done!

Sensory doses

Now it's time to hear, smell, and maybe even touch. First, make the cans opaque. To do this, you can cut black paper, just like you would for gift wrapping. You can either glue this paper to the outside of the can or place it inside. Cut out black circles to place on the bottom of the can (glue them in place is best).

To make sound boxes, place objects that make noises inside. These could be beads, packaging material, pebbles, or acorns. Shake the box and guess what's inside. To check if you're right, simply unscrew the box. To make it easier for children, leave one object on the outside so the child can see what they can choose from. You can also play an auditory memory game this way. Fill two boxes at the same time. Place all the boxes in a mess and shake two boxes at a time. When you think you've found a matching pair, open the lids to check.

Scented tins work in a similar way. You can either make holes in the lid of the tin or use a separate paper insert with holes in it. This way, the scent can be sealed in and doesn't always escape. To do this, cut out a circle that's larger than the diameter of the tin. Then, using a toothpick or potato skewer, poke holes in it on a soft surface (e.g., Styrofoam). Now cut a small slit around the edge and press the whole thing into the tin. You can now place a scented object (e.g., coffee beans) in the tin and, if desired, add your cover. For example, you can also sprinkle a cotton pad with scented oil and place it in the tin. The best way to do this is to prepare small pictures or text showing what's in the scented oil, which you then stick to the bottom of the tin. As long as the cotton pad doesn't discolor to reveal its contents, you don't need an extra cover. You can simply unscrew the lid as it is. The children can now take the cans and guess what they smell. A kind of scent memory game would also be possible here. It's best to have coffee ready to neutralize the smell between each can.

Believe it or not: The cans can also be used for making music! For example, you can give your child a specific rhythm for shaking the can with rice grains inside, and have them imitate that exact rhythm.

You can also prepare feel-cans with slime or other fillings. The children can reach into the can with their eyes closed and guess what they feel. Here, too, you could fill two cans at a time, and the child tries to match them.  It's not always about right or wrong: If the child justifies a relationship between two doses (e.g. "both feel good"), that's of course fine.

Similar to the idea of ​​the tactile cans, you can make weight cans. These are filled with contents of varying weights, and the child can then guess which can is the heaviest. At the end, you can test it together using a scale.

In general, the sensory boxes are suitable for shared play and exploration, but also as independent activities. Pay attention to the age of the children in case there are small parts that could be swallowed. You can always  Ask questions about how something feels/sounds/smells and have the children describe it with words. Examples of questions would be: What do you think of that? Does it smell good to you? What did you like best? Which of the cans best suits dinosaurs? Which of the cans suits me and why? Focus less on 'right' and 'wrong'; this is about perception and describing it. Depending on the child's stage of development and how they are feeling that day, you can verbalize their perception more or less. It's also sufficient to simply let the child perceive, experience, and experiment for themselves. Accompany them.

And more?

These are the ideas you could theoretically all make with the same container if you rinse it out between uses. There are instructions online for making your own snow globes using a mason jar, small figures, and glitter. You can also do this with a slime container, as they're leak-proof. You can also seal the container's rim with hot glue to prevent them from being unscrewed.

Making figures from slime cans

If you want to get even more creative, you can make figures out of the cans. As an example, I made a robot. But you can also make a human figure, a fairy, a snowman, or anything else you can think of. This will completely transform your can.

You will need: at least two cans (preferably in different sizes), hot glue, something to drill holes with (a pointed metal object or hand drill), sandpaper, acrylic paint of your choice, a brush and/or a sponge, wool/craft wire, sample bag clips (if you want the head to be movable) - if you want, also beads, googly eyes and other decorations

To ensure the paint adheres to the can, you'll need to sand it first. Use fine sandpaper and sand the can in straight and circular motions until the entire surface is rough. Leave the screw cap out, though. For my robot, I drilled two holes in the sides of the large can. The arms will go through these holes later. You can also drill holes in the bottom for the legs. Now you can paint the can with acrylic paint, for example, using a brush or a tail.

Once the can is dry, it's time to paint the arms.  Take a long piece of wire and thread it through the holes. The same amount of wire should stick out on both sides of the can (unless you want unequal arms, which is fine, of course). Then bend the arms down. You can hot-glue hands to the wire ends. Make sure any sharp points are secured. You can make the legs in the same way and then attach the head. You can get really creative here and build the robot or figure exactly how you want:

You could also make a cape or clothing out of fabric or felt. Have fun making it yourself—feel free to send us your results! :)