A fun update to our popular Mermaid Slime recipe, this Mermaid Floam Slime is a fun 3-ingredient slime using crushed styrofoam or styrofoam beads to make a unique textured slime that doesn’t drip or make a mess!

DIY Floam Slime Recipe

I love providing my daughter and daycare kids with a variety of sensory materials.

From water play to homemade play dough, cloud doughs and of course, slime.

We’ve been making and sharing slime recipes on this site since 2014! We even wrote a book about it a couple years ago. You’d think we’d be all slimed out over here, but the kids always get so excited whenever I suggest that we make some slime.

However, that doesn’t mean I always want to deal with the slime. For the most part, my kids are great about it and keep things clean, but there’s always the potential of me having to haul out the vinegar and clean slime out of clothing, carpets… and hair.

That’s why I love this easy floam slime recipe. It’s stretchy and squishy like slime, but it’s not messy or drippy. It stays together and has a great texture with a good amount of resistance. It’s almost like a stress ball-slime hybrid! 

If you’ve never bought your kids Floam, it’s basically a styrofoam bead clay. It’s squishy and malleable, but doesn’t stick to surfaces and a bit stiffer than play dough.

This slime is like a DIY version of that – only it has the smooth, cooling texture of slime mixed in. I would describe it almost like flubber.

This DIY mermaid slime would be perfect to hand out at mermaid birthday parties thanks to it’s “mermaid treasure” like appearance and the fact that it’s not messy – so the parents won’t curse you for sending it home! (Check out our Mermaid Party on a Budget post for more mermaid party inspiration.)

We store our slime in airtight plastic containers for up to a month. After a few days, you may need to re-knead your slime if the ingredients start to separate. (I don’t usually need to add more activator like liquid starch or contact solution – just kneading the slime does the trick.)

You don’t have to use foam beads for this slime – we’ve previously used crushed styrofoam that we’ve received in packaging. Recycled and biodegradable styrofoam beads are widely available, as well.

Slime can require a bit of experimentation and patience, especially if you’re still new to it. If you run into any slime fails, check out this troubleshooting post to help fix your slime.

Check out our quick video to see this Mermaid Floam Slime in play (and hear all that fun ASMR) – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable instructions:

If you’re looking for the ultimate slime guide – you need to check out our Slime Book with over 40 amazing, unique slimes:

You can purchase The Slime Book on Amazon, Book Depository, or at your local bookstore!

(Read more about The Slime Book and what it contains here.)

Mermaid Floam Slime Ingredients

• Styrofoam beads
• Blue glitter glue <– don’t use a cheap glitter glue for this recipe, I’ve had awful slime fails while trying to use off-brand glues
• Liquid Starch

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: you can alternatively use 1 1/2 Tablespoons of contacts lens solution plus 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in place of the liquid starch to make this floam recipe.

How to Make Homemade Floam Slime

Place your styrofoam beads in a large mixing bowl.

Pour in the entire container of glitter glue.

Add a few tablespoons of water to the glitter glue bottle, secure the cap and shake it around. Add a couple tablespoons of the water to the glue-bead mixture and stir. (You may need more water later, so don’t throw out the bottle yet.)

Once the styrofoam beads are completely coated in the glitter glue, add your liquid starch. Add just small quantities at a time.

Stir the slime until the liquid starch is fully dissolved and a cohesive ball of slime starts to form. Add more liquid starch if the slime isn’t yet forming a ball.

Knead the slime with your hands. It will take about two minutes of total kneading time, but if the slime is still sticking to your hands after a minute of kneading, add more liquid starch

Add more liquid starch to bind the sticky glue molecules and form a squishy, firm slime.

If you want the slime to be a bit “looser” and not as thick and moldable, add more water.

Pin this Easy Floam Slime recipe:

Grab your free printable instructions for our mermaid floam slime recipe:

I hope your kids love this squishy, firm mermaid slime recipe – and you love how not messy it is!

Check out some of our other Slime Recipes: