TOW #18 - "Slime Wave" by Tom Avril (The Inquirer)

In the digital era that is today, it is a relief for parents to see their children playing with toys, and exploring creativity. The new phase of playing and crafting for kids all across the globe is slime, also known as ‘gluep’, originating in the 70s and 80s. However, rather than buying slime pre-made, kids are stocking up on glue, and borax, the two key ingredients in home-made slime. An article from “The Inquirer” entitled Slime Wave by staff writer, Tom Avril entails the recent uproar of slime, and argues that slime is more than just a ‘messy toy’ by employing deductive reasoning. First, the article introduces its claim being that slime has productive uses, and then goes on to list the multiple reasons to back the claim up; due to the fact that making slime is considered a craft, the process embraces creativity, and scientists have been teaching classes using slime as a model. A head-marketer at Newell Brands, an organization with relations to Elmer’s Glue factory, stated that he has “been impressed by the evidence of creativity on social media sites” (Avril). Kids invested in making slime are posting recipes online, and sharing their ideas with the web, using the internet for something positive along with using their hands for something crafty. Here, the author of the article backs up his claim with valid opinion from the head-marketer, making his argument even more believable to the audience. In addition, slime has also been used as a learning tool. For example, the article reads, “Under another name, the science museum also has used the substance [slime] for a lesson on the immune system” (Avril). The current slime phase is proving to be more than just a game; this claim is further backed up with information from scientist explaining that since the slime is so appealing to play with, it is making kids more interested in educational lessons when slime is used as a model. Therefore, the article succeeds to prove, through the use of deductive reasoning, that slime, if used properly, can actually be a tool for creativity and education.  

Visual: http://ourbestbites.com/2010/09/kids-in-the-kitchen-slime/ 

Caption: "Creative goop"