Single review
National Geographic Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab Review
Reviewed from National Geographic's published specifications. We have not opened the tins, and the published split between premade and DIY is the whole review.
By Sawyer V. · Published
The short answer
The National Geographic Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab is a good sensory toy and a weak science kit. It publishes 8 varieties in total — 7 premade putties and slimes plus 1 DIY glow-in-the-dark slime lab — in 8 tins with a full-color learning guide, rated 8 and up.
Block & Beaker earns a commission when you buy through our links, at no cost to you. It never changes a ranking, and we say so plainly when the right answer is the cheaper set, or nothing at all. Full disclosure · How we pick.
At a glance
The picks, ranked
Tap any row to jump to the full reasoning. Prices come live from Amazon where we have them and read “check price” where we don’t — never a number we cannot stand behind today.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The product NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab Seven ready-made putties with genuinely different properties, plus one lab to make. | Eight and up, as a sensory toy | |
| 2 |  The one that actually experiments NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Science Lab 45 experiments in the kit plus 85+ household ones — 130+ in total. | Eight and up | |
| 3 |  Dough that does something Squishy Circuits Standard Kit Conductive and insulating dough with 25 LEDs and a buzzer. | Published age not stated — judge it yourself | |
| — |  Not at eight Thames & Kosmos Chemistry C500 28 experiments and a 48-page manual from five chemicals. | Ten and up |
4 picks, including 1 we tell you to skip. Ages shown are the manufacturer’s own rating, not ours.
What we can tell you, and what we cannot
We have not opened the tins. No lab, no samples, no test children, and no star rating on this page or in its structured data.
National Geographic publishes the exact split between premade and DIY, the seven putty types, the storage format and the age rating, which is more honest than most slime kits manage. How long the putties stay usable, we cannot tell you.
The specification that decides it
The arithmetic
Nat Geo Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab, published
| Varieties | 8 in total — 7 premade plus 1 DIY slime lab |
|---|---|
| Premade types | Magnetic putty, fluffy slime, glow-in-the-dark putty, liquid slime, color-changing putty, snotty slime, bouncing putty |
| DIY portion | One glow-in-the-dark slime lab with a stir stick |
| Storage | 8 tins |
| Stated age | 8 and up |
| Consumables | Partly — DIY ingredients used once, putties reusable |
What the numbers mean in practice
Seven premade tins is a sensory toy. That is not an insult — magnetic putty and bouncing putty are genuinely interesting objects, and reusable ones. It is simply not the same as making them.
One DIY lab is one afternoon. If the child’s request was “I want to make slime”, this delivers that request once.
Comparison is the real science here. Eight different polymers in one box lets a child rank them by stretch, bounce and stickiness, which is a properties investigation the learning guide can support.
Reusable putties change the value. Unlike a crystal kit, most of this box survives. The tins go back on a shelf and come out again, which is more than a one-shot dig kit offers.
Say the premade part out loud before you wrap it
This is the one piece of advice that matters with this kit. A child expecting a chemistry-style make-it-yourself box will be disappointed by seven tins of finished putty, no matter how good the putty is.
Framed correctly — eight kinds of slime to compare, and one to make — it is a strong gift. Framed as a slime-making lab, it is a letdown that no amount of glow in the dark fixes.
If making is the whole point, a glue-and-activator recipe from the kitchen makes unlimited batches for a fraction of the cost, and the learning guide in this box is not what unlocks that.
Worth knowing before you buy
Eight tins is eight lids to keep. Published storage is tins rather than bags, which is the better format — but a putty left uncovered dries out, and that is how these kits actually end rather than by being used up.
Who should skip it
Anyone buying a science kit. The Mega Science Lab publishes 45 experiments plus 85+ more at the same published age.
A child who wants to make slime repeatedly. One DIY lab does not cover that; kitchen ingredients do.
Under-eights. The published floor is 8, and the magnetic putty is the reason to respect it.
Say the unwelcome thing
Do not buy it as a chemistry set
It is shelved next to chemistry sets, made by a science brand, and it is a box of putty with one recipe. That is fine if you want putty. If a child asked for chemistry, Thames & Kosmos publishes 28 experiments from five chemicals in the C500 at 10 and up.
Where it sits
This kit appears in slime and polymer kits, gifts for kids who hate sitting still and science experiment kits.
In full
Every pick, and what is wrong with it
Published specifications only, each linked back to the page it came from. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says so — we do not fill blanks in.
1. The product
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab
National Geographic · NGMEGASPL · maker rates it 8+
Seven ready-made putties with genuinely different properties, plus one lab to make.
- Varieties
- 8 in total — 7 premade plus 1 DIY slime lab
- Premade types
- Magnetic putty, fluffy slime, glow-in-the-dark putty, liquid slime, color-changing putty, snotty slime, bouncing putty
- DIY portion
- One glow-in-the-dark slime lab with a stir stick
- Storage
- 8 tins
National Geographic publishes 8 varieties in total: 7 premade putties and slimes — magnetic putty, fluffy slime, glow-in-the-dark putty, liquid slime, color-changing putty, snotty slime and bouncing putty — plus 1 DIY glow-in-the-dark slime lab with a stir stick, in 8 tins with a full-color learning guide. Stated age 8 and up. Partly consumable: the DIY ingredients are used once and the putties are reusable.
The published 7-to-1 split is the review. A child who asked to make slime will make one batch and then be handed seven tins somebody else made, and they will notice.
What it is genuinely good at is comparison. Magnetic, bouncing, color-changing and fluffy in one box is a properties lesson you cannot get from a single recipe, and the putties are reusable rather than one-shot.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- The seven premade putties are reusable toys rather than one-shot experiments
- Does anything run out
- Only the DIY lab runs out
- Room to grow
- Magnetic and color-changing putty demonstrate real properties, not just texture
- Adult required
- Not for the premade putties; briefly for the DIY mix
Why we say so: National Geographic publishes seven premade varieties plus one DIY lab. That ratio is the review: most of this kit is a reusable sensory toy with a science label, and one eighth of it is the experiment.
What’s wrong with it
Seven of the eight arrive already made — the child mixes one.
| Varieties | 8 in total — 7 premade plus 1 DIY slime lab |
|---|---|
| Premade types | Magnetic putty, fluffy slime, glow-in-the-dark putty, liquid slime, color-changing putty, snotty slime, bouncing putty |
| DIY portion | One glow-in-the-dark slime lab with a stir stick |
| Storage | 8 tins |
| Includes | Full-color learning guide |
| Stated age | 8 and up |
| Consumables | Partly — the DIY ingredients are used once; the putties are reusable |
Every figure above is from National Geographic toys, Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
2. The one that actually experiments
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Science Lab
National Geographic · Mega Science Lab · maker rates it 8+
45 experiments in the kit plus 85+ household ones — 130+ in total.
- Experiments in the kit
- 45, across chemistry, earth science and science magic
- Bonus guide
- 85+ further experiments using household items, for 130+ in total
- Includes
- Volcano build, glow-in-the-dark crystal growth, and the tools for both
- Stated age
- 8+
National Geographic publishes 45 experiments across chemistry, earth science and science magic, plus a bonus guide of 85+ further experiments using household items for 130+ in total, including a volcano build and glow-in-the-dark crystal growth, rated 8+.
The same brand and the same published age, with roughly 130 things to do instead of one thing to make. If the gift is meant to be science, buy this one. See the Mega Science Lab review.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- Guided, and the 45 in-kit experiments end. The 85 household ones do not
- Does anything run out
- The supplied materials run out; the household half of the book never does
- Room to grow
- The bonus guide is the genuinely durable part, and it costs the manufacturer almost nothing to include
- Adult required
- Supervision for the chemistry third; the earth science and household experiments are largely self-run
Why we say so: National Geographic publishes 45 in-kit experiments plus a bonus guide of 85+ using household items. That second number is why this kit outlasts most of its price band: roughly two-thirds of the published content needs nothing but a kitchen.
What’s wrong with it
The supplied chemicals and compounds are used up.
| Experiments in the kit | 45, across chemistry, earth science and science magic |
|---|---|
| Bonus guide | 85+ further experiments using household items, for 130+ in total |
| Includes | Volcano build, glow-in-the-dark crystal growth, and the tools for both |
| Stated age | 8+ |
| Consumables | Yes — the supplied chemicals and crystal compounds are used up |
Every figure above is from National Geographic toys, Mega Science Lab. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
3. Dough that does something
Squishy Circuits Standard Kit
Squishy Circuits · Standard Kit · maker rates it Not published on the maker's product page
Conductive and insulating dough with 25 LEDs and a buzzer.
- Conductive dough
- 3 containers, 3.5 oz each — red, green and blue
- Insulating dough
- 1 container, 3.5 oz, white
- LEDs
- 25 — 5 each of red, green, white, yellow and blue
- Also included
- 1 battery holder and 1 piezoelectric buzzer
Squishy Circuits publishes 3 containers of conductive dough at 3.5 oz each in red, green and blue, 1 container of insulating dough, 25 LEDs — five each of red, green, white, yellow and blue — 1 battery holder and 1 piezoelectric buzzer. No stated age and no battery requirement are published on the maker’s product page.
If the appeal is squishing things, this is the version where the squishing lights an LED. See the Squishy Circuits review.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- Open-ended — the dough is shaped into whatever circuit the child imagines
- Room to grow
- Twenty-five LEDs in five colors is enough for circuits with several branches
Why we say so: Squishy Circuits publishes two doughs — three containers that conduct and one that insulates — plus 25 LEDs and a buzzer. Two doughs is the whole design: one carries current and one blocks it, so a working circuit is built by shaping clay rather than by following a diagram.
What’s wrong with it
The maker publishes no age rating and no battery requirement.
| Conductive dough | 3 containers, 3.5 oz each — red, green and blue |
|---|---|
| Insulating dough | 1 container, 3.5 oz, white |
| LEDs | 25 — 5 each of red, green, white, yellow and blue |
| Also included | 1 battery holder and 1 piezoelectric buzzer |
| Stated age | Not published on the maker's product page |
| Battery requirement | Not published on the maker's product page |
Every figure above is from Squishy Circuits, Standard Kit. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
Skip this one
Thames & Kosmos Chemistry C500
Thames & Kosmos · 665012 · maker rates it 10+
28 experiments and a 48-page manual from five chemicals.
- Experiments
- 28
- Manual
- 48 pages
- Chemicals included
- 5
- Equipment
- Safety glasses, test tubes, dropper pipettes, double-headed measuring spoon
Thames & Kosmos publishes 28 experiments and a 48-page manual from five chemicals, with safety glasses, test tubes, dropper pipettes and a double-headed measuring spoon, rated 10 years and up, with a 9V battery required and not included.
Named because “they like slime, so they will love chemistry” is a common leap. The published age gap is two years, and real reagents are a different activity from putty.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- Guided, not open-ended: 28 experiments, then the manual is finished
- Does anything run out
- Yes — the chemicals are consumed, and Thames & Kosmos sells replacements
- Room to grow
- Steps up to the larger C1000, C2000 and C3000 sets in the same line
- Adult required
- The maker rates it 10+ and it involves real chemicals
Why we say so: Thames & Kosmos publishes 28 experiments, a 48-page manual and five chemicals. Five finite chemicals across 28 experiments is arithmetic, not opinion — this set has an end, and it is better to know that before Boxing Day than after.
What’s wrong with it
Published 10 and up — two years past this kit's rating.
| Experiments | 28 |
|---|---|
| Manual | 48 pages |
| Chemicals included | 5 |
| Equipment | Safety glasses, test tubes, dropper pipettes, double-headed measuring spoon |
| Stated age | 10 years and up |
| Batteries | 1 x 9V (not included) |
| Consumables | Yes — the five chemicals are used up |
Every figure above is from Thames & Kosmos, Chemistry C500. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
We are not putting a buy button on this one. It is easy enough to find if you want it anyway — but we would rather send you to something that gets played with twice.
Questions people actually ask
Frequently asked
Is the Nat Geo Mega Slime Kit worth it?
As a sensory toy, yes; as a science kit, no. National Geographic publishes 8 varieties - 7 premade putties and slimes plus 1 DIY glow-in-the-dark slime lab - in 8 tins, rated 8 and up. The child makes one of the eight.
How much of the slime kit does the child actually make?
One of the eight varieties. The other seven arrive premade: magnetic putty, fluffy slime, glow-in-the-dark putty, liquid slime, color-changing putty, snotty slime and bouncing putty.
What age is the Mega Slime Kit for?
National Geographic publishes 8 and up. The magnetic putty is the part to keep away from younger children. Slime and polymer kits.
Does the slime kit run out?
Partly. The DIY ingredients are used once; the seven premade putties are published as reusable and live in their tins.
Slime kit or a real science kit?
If the gift is meant to teach, the Mega Science Lab publishes 45 experiments plus a bonus guide of 85+ household ones at the same published age of 8+. Mega Science Lab review.
Are the premade putties reusable?
Yes. National Geographic publishes the seven premade putties and slimes as reusable in their tins; only the DIY slime lab ingredients are used once.
Sources
Where these figures came from
Every specification on this page traces to one of these. If a manufacturer publishes nothing on a point, the page says so rather than filling the gap.
Read next
Where to go from here
Back to Reviews, or read how we pick.