Summary: a soothing, sensory medium for play, with lots of possibility for creativity, imagination and fun for all ages
Set-up: 5 mins
Play: 30 mins – an hour
Complexity: Easy, but this one appeals to all ages
Materials
- Shaving foam
- Trays or other flat surface
- Food colouring
- Jars and droppers
- Wooden stirring sticks
What to do
Squirt the shaving foam in piles onto the surface. Set up some jars of different food colouring (you can water it down) and place a dropper in each. Then invite your child to explore! They can drip drops of food colouring onto the shaving foam, swirl it with the sticks, and mix it with their hands. Talk with children about the movements and patterns they are making, and encourage them to describe what they are feeling and thinking.
Extensions
Spread the shaving foam across the tray and draw patterns, or write letters and numbers in the foam. Have your child write their name or a special message in the foam and photograph it.
Explore colour mixing: can you mix two different colours into the shaving foam to make a third colour? What colour does your child think you will make?
Encourage pretend play by adding animals, vehicles or lego to the shaving foam mix. Hide objects in the foam and try to guess what they are just by touch.
What learning does this activity promote?
Exploration, vocabulary, hypothesising, fine motor skills, imagination.
By Dr Vicki Hargraves
