A lot of child therapists make slime with their clients in session, or they did back when we saw people in person. Personally, it was not an intervention I used often for a couple of reasons. One, to accommodate my caseload, I would book after school appointments back-to-back, and the cleanup would put me behind schedule; and two, I just hate the feeling of slime on my hands. If, as the therapist, I can’t commit to an intervention and be fully present, I find it is better to choose a different activity instead.
But there is no clean up in telehealth! And although the sensory experience of virtual slime is vastly different, there is still the visual element, which still works for a lot of kids. This is absolutely an intervention that will not work online with all kids because it’s so different than a hands-on experience, but it can work for some.
A lot of my clients like watching slime videos on YouTube, and watching a short slime video can stimulate conversation of what the client would do differently if they were making the slime themselves or what they think the slime would feel like in their hands.
If your client wants to create their own virtual slime, though, a YouTube video is just not interactive enough. This online Slime Maker and My Slime Mixer do let them “make” slime themselves, and you can either share your screen and grant screen control or send the link and let your client share their screen with you to use it. One limitation of these online slime games is that the client has very little say in the activity – you follow specific steps to make the type of slime allowed by the game.
My favorite virtual slime app is Super Slime Simulator, which is available for free in the Apple and Google Play stores. It has adds, but you are able to choose what type of slime you are making, or you can choose to try and match a slime auto-generated by the game. There is not a version that I can find for use on a computer (but please tell me if you find one!), so this is only an option if the client has a device that allows them to download the app. They can then share their screen with you, and you can make the slime together.
Super Slime Simulator is the most sensory of the virtual slimes I have been able to find since you “mix” the slime yourself with the touch screen, but again, it isn’t a perfect representation of real slime.
A lot of parents either don’t have the tools to make slime at home, or they aren’t able to deal with the mess. (This is understandable – slime can stain carpet and clothing!) But virtual slime can be an acceptable compromise in a pinch.