Tag: shaving cream

Puffy Paint Clouds

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Puffy Paint Clouds (8)

With so much attention going to big brother Travis during the school week, it was nice just to pause with Veronika for some messy art today! Shaving cream paint has so many uses, and today we focused on clouds. Veronika has been using lots of weather words like “rain” and “cloud” lately, and I figured I would seize the moment.

To make the paint, mix up about 3/4 cup foamy shaving cream and 1/4 cup white glue. I was entirely inexact about this, just eyeballing it, but you really can’t get it wrong.

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We used blue construction paper as the background for a pretty azure sky. Ideally we would have been dipped cotton balls in our “paint”, but I was all out! In a pinch, we wadded up tissue paper to make the clouds “fluffy”.

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If your child likes things neat, you can “paint” the shaving cream mixture onto the paper with a paintbrush and then add crumpled tissues on top. If your child likes to be messy, roll the tissue wads right in the gluey mixture, and then press onto the paper.

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We sort of did this both ways!

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Veronika was fascinated by the glue mixture, dipping her fingers into it often.

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I also sang about clouds as we played to make it a little weather lesson. So the project ends up being equal parts art, sensory play, and science for toddlers.

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Shaving Cream and Colored Sand

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Shaving Cream Colored Sand (6)

Is there much educational value to this sensory tray? No. But is it fantastic messy fun? Yes! And sometimes that’s all you need with a toddler.

I originally intended to use sand for the craft, but didn’t have any. In a pinch, I made colored salt! I first put coarse salt into small zip-top plastic bags and added a few drops of food coloring to each. Seal and knead to disperse the color. (Meanwhile, you can also use colored sand from a sand art kit or add your own food coloring to sand at home).

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Now squirt a generous layer of foamy shaving cream onto a shallow tray – the more the better! If you prefer, you could do this activity right on a craft table, but I liked containing it (somewhat!) on the tray.

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Sprinkle with the colored sand or salt. I added a few plastic spoons to facilitate things, but Veronika immediately had her hands in the mixture without any encouragement. She liked scooping it onto the floor in big dollops…

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…and also enjoyed testing how it felt with her fingers. The contrast of smooth creamy shaving cream and very coarse salt is of course the point here, and she seemed fascinated by this mix of textures.

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I thought she might just spoon through it, but soon her little toy figures were in the shaving cream. Once they were messy, she couldn’t quite decide if this was funny or if she was worried about them! I rinsed the toys off before she got upset.

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In retrospect, I would have done this project at bedtime, rather than early in the day. That way I could have stripped Veronika down to a diaper and plopped her into a bathtub right after. As it was, I felt bad cutting things short before the mess got out of control, once I realized she was walking around with shaving cream all over her hands, feet, and legs.

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But she still got in a good twenty minutes or so of fun.

Shaving Cream Color Mixing Bag

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Shaving Cream Color Mix (4)

Here’s a spin on a recent color mixing activity Veronika enjoyed for Valentine’s Day. This time the bags were bigger and the whole thing was a lot squishier!

For set up, squirt paint into the corners of three gallon-sized zip-top bags. Each bag should contain a pair of primary colors: red + yellow, yellow + blue, and blue + red.

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I next squirted a healthy dose of shaving cream into each bag between the two colors.

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Seal the tops with duct tape for added security, or this could get messy!

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Now it was just up to Veronika. She immediately loved squishing the bags between her palms.

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It turns out they were also a blast to throw up in the air…

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…or behind her back. Ta da!

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Once she had thoroughly kneaded the bags, the colors started to mix together. It wasn’t as clear a “lesson” on primary and secondary colors as other sensory bags we’ve tried, but the visual effect was still lots of fun and quite pretty!

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Here is the final, squished and much enjoyed result.

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Soap Crayons and Bath Paint

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Soap Crayons Bath Paint (4)

Some baths are for getting clean, but sometimes a bath is meant for playing! To wit, this afternoon I treated Veronika to an extra long bath just so she could enjoy some arts and crafts in the tub.

The bath is a perfect place for your toddler to experiment with art. What’s easier than a mess that can literally be washed down the drain?

We started out with soap crayons. You can make your own, but I skipped the labor of love and instead purchased a set from Sud Smart Bath Toys.

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Unfortunately they snapped into small pieces easily, but that didn’t deter Veronika from having a blast.

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Imagine her delight that she could scribble everywhere without being reprimanded!

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I made lots of squiggles and swirls for her, too, since you have to press hard with these crayons and her efforts didn’t always produce much color. Since we’re working on her budding vocabulary and object recognition, I drew simple shapes that she knows the word for, like the sun and birds.

Next up, we swapped out the crayons for paint! For an easy bath paint, look no further than the medicine cabinet: foamy shaving cream.

I squirted a generous amount of shaving cream into each of three cups and added a few drops of natural food coloring to each, resulting in pretty pastel colors. Insert a paintbrush into each color.

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As with a recent edible paint, Veronika first just loved plunging the paintbrush up and down in the mixture.

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Once I showed her how to smear it on the tub walls, she was game!

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I also lathered some on one wall in a thick canvas, hoping she would run the paintbrush through.

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She was more into the fact that she could paint it on her hands, though. Look mommy!

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Throw in a little education if you want, writing letters (your child’s initials are always fun) or shapes. And when it’s done, just rinse it down the drain.

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Valentine’s Day Marbled Messages

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Marble Messages (8)

Your kid can wow the class this year with these swirled heart cards. Classmates will love learning that the marbled colors were made with shaving cream paint!

To set up, Travis and I filled a shallow craft bin with a thick layer of shaving cream. Add generous drops of food coloring in multiple colors and stir with a skewer.

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Press a thick piece of white paper firmly onto the surface of the shaving cream.

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Lift up and scrape off the excess shaving cream with the side of a ruler. Travis loved the big blobs of shaving cream this produced!

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Repeat as needed for the desired amount of Valentines. We found we needed to add more food coloring to the shaving cream base after pressing in 3 sheets of paper. Let dry completely.

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Once dry, we traced hearts onto the paper with a cookie cutter and cut out. Cut red and pink construction paper into 8×5-inch rectangles and fold in half. Glue one heart to the cover of each card.

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Don’t forget to write a sweet message inside! Prefer your class Valentines with a little less mess? Check out past ideas for necklaces, bookmarks, and even “tacos“!

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Squish Bags

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Squish Bags (2)

I made a floor sensory bag for Veronika some time back; today I added two twists for a new version of the game!

In the first, I added 1/2 cup water and then various small items from our craft bin: translucent pony beads, buttons, and wiggle eyes all fit the bill. I got the idea after noticing how much she loved a drum with floating beads under the plastic at music class.

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I taped the bag firmly to the floor on all four sides, almost like framing it. Now she could squish the items inside, but not move the whole bag.

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The second version was even squishier! This time, instead of water, I squirted in a generous dose of shaving cream. I sprinkled in even more beads and buttons, using lots so they showed up through the thick cream. This one, too, I taped firmly down on all four sides.

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Veronika loved pressing her fingers in! Or scooching her whole body across.

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She could move beads and buttons with one little finger or a whole hand pressed down, and the visual effect was dazzling.

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If you make these while your baby is still young enough to need tummy time, it’s a sure way to keep them entertained!

Fluffy-Paint Collage

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Fluffy Paint (13).JPG

We tend to think of sensory art projects as toddler games, but sometimes, even four-year-olds just need to get messy! Queue this shaving cream paint project, a great suggestion from High Five magazine, that absolutely delighted Travis.

To make our fluffy paint mixture, we first mixed 1/2 cup white glue with 1/2 cup shaving cream (thanks Daddy!) in a bowl.

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Stir until combined. Divide the glue into cups (as many different ones as you have colors). Add drops of food coloring, and stir until mixed.

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Travis loves to play mixologist like this!

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We smeared our puffy paint over two thick pieces of watercolor paper (card stock would work, too). Let dry completely.

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Travis loved this step so much he requested extra cups of shaving cream to stir and tint with color. I was happy to oblige!

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Later in the afternoon, it was time for some fine motor skills. First, we had to check out how the dried paint felt. Very puffy!

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We cut the puffy pictures into pieces.

fluffy paint (10)Travis was proud to cut his paper any which way, and I made a few more exact shapes – circles, squares, triangles etc.

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Choose a piece of colored construction paper for a background, and glue down the pieces with clear glue for a creative collage. Older children may want to be very deliberate, and design flowers or other motifs. Travis just loved making piles of clear glue!

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Once again, he loved this step so much that when we were done, he asked for extra paper to cut up and glue down. I loved seeing him so busy!

 

Puffy Paint Shamrocks

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Puffy Shamrock (9)

Painting green shamrocks is all well and good, but why use regular paint when you can use puffy paint?

To make the fun mixture, simply mix together shaving cream, glue, and green food coloring.

Before you make the paint, either trace or draw shamrock shapes onto paper. Use a thick cardstock, so the paper doesn’t tear.

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I wish I could tell you we measured out the ingredients for our puffy paint, but instead we had a lot of goopy, inexact fun. First we squirted shaving cream into plastic cups.

We added a healthy pour of glue into each – perhaps 2 tablespoons per cup? Stir the mixture together well.

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At first, we tried adding green food coloring to one cup. Oddly, this tinged the puffy paint very yellow, key lime at best. Travis’s favorite part of the whole craft was adding more and more food color and trying to get a greener shade.

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My little mixologist!

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Meanwhile, I used green paint in a second cup. This gave us a very pale pastel green – nice for springtime, though not true Kelly Green!

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Once you have the color you like, paint over your shamrocks.

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No points for neatness, of course.

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It only took a couple of hours for the paint to dry, and Travis loved how puffy and soft it was to the touch.

 

Shaving Cream Prints

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There is definite WOW factor to this project, even for grown ups!

To begin, squirt a healthy dose of shaving cream onto a baking sheet or tray. Ooh, already this project is exciting!

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Now add a few drops of liquid watercolor to the shaving cream. Travis loved seeing the color appear against the white background, after which I instructed him to swirl the colors through the shaving cream with a skewer.

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Next, press heavy card stock or poster board onto the mixture, one piece at a time. Travis loved helping to gently press the paper on, and lift it up for the big reveal.

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Wipe the excess shaving cream from each piece with an old towel, and set aside to dry – what a gorgeous marbled effect!

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The secret is that the soap in the shaving cream pushes the color away, so it is left behind after the cream is wiped off. It also leaves the paper with a velvety texture that feels amazing!

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This paper is so pretty that you’ll definitely want to use it for gifts – perhaps bookmarks:

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Or thank you cards:

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Or simply hang in a prominent place to display your child’s work of art!

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Shaving Cream + Toys Sensory Play

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One bin full of shaving cream plus a few toys = a whole lot of seriously messy fun.

We love playing with shaving cream around here, and today we made it all about shaving cream and trucks since we’d just been to the car wash. Pretty much any washable toys will have fun in your bin though – think Duplo people, plastic dinosaurs, toy animals etc.

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Travis’s trucks drove through great big mounds of shaving cream – was it a construction site or a snowy day?

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One of his favorite parts was sending all of the trucks through the “car wash” after, and rinsing the shaving cream from each.

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He also loved just dipping in his fingers of course! The perfect follow-up game after an outing to the real car wash.

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