A fun little experiment with shaving cream and color

It was supposed to be a quiet activity to keep Santino occupied in his high chair while I am cleaning up after dinner. I got a jar and filled it with water, added a few squirts of shaving cream on top. I then gave Santino 2 little plates with different colors and a spoon.

I went looking online for the ideas to do with shaving cream, as Santino doesn't seem to be interested in dealing with its texture. I already tried exposing him to its foamy consistency, as this is a great sensory activity and another medium to explore and possible doodle in.


So I found a few cool experiments here. I thought I would let Santino watch shaving cream interacting with color and it would be something new for him, and new usually means concentration (read: some quiet time for mommy to wash dishes).

I showed my little man how to drop a little bit of color on the white cloud of shaving cream and how it interacts with water and if you drop different color, the colors interact and change.

Santino had another plan for this activity in his mind. He first poured water with the spoon, but then reached inside the jar with his hands. I guess he was trying to take the cream out.

He got rather nervous and started asking me to clean his hands. Then he poured all the water from the jar on his table. It was time to change the activity.

I washed his table and started over. I squirted a little bit of shaving cream on the tray and added a few drops of food coloring right in the cream. This time I wanted him to use his fingers to doodle and "make dinosaurs" (like here).

 

This also didn't last long, as all he wanted was to wash his hands in water. I officially declared this experiment a "fail" and transported Santino in the bath. What's up with the shaving cream texture that bothers Santino so much? Total time: 10 minutes.

Although this experiment was a fail for us, I am sure many other toddlers would enjoy it. Try it and let me know!