Slime time: Nearly 500 Montrealers participate in record-breaking slime lesson

A group of nearly 500 children and adults came together at the Montreal Science Centre Sunday to break the world record for largest slime lesson.

Under the supervision of chemistry educator Yannick Bergeron, participants concocted hundreds of batches of ooey, gooey, colourful slime.

(Daniel Rowe / CTV Montreal) A total of 491 people joined in on the fun, far surpassing the previous Guinness World Record of 250 -- although the official verdict will be announced Monday.

So what is slime, exactly? Put simply, it's a not-quite-liquid, not-quite-solid substance that can be created using household items like polyvinyl alcohol (such as PVA glue) and sodium borate (such as Borax).

(Daniel Rowe / CTV Montreal) Thanks to online tutorials, creating slime has become a popular at-home experiment for kids over the past few years.

That popularity came through on Sunday -- according to Science Centre director Cybèle Robichaud, tickets were sold out in just three days.

"We were pleasantly surprised by the interest," she told The Canadian Press.

"It's a big favourite with kids."

The event was held in conjunction with the centre's The Science of Guinness World Records Exhibition, which is open until Sept. 5.

With files from The Canadian Press.