Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Shaving Cream Marbling...

This project has already been posted, but we had a great time putting together this package of cards.  My Little Kid Scientist Aiden asked if he could share them on The Science Mommy...

Ages:  This is best for older Kids.  It's a pretty messy project and requires a bit of dexterity.  With supervision & assistance though there's no reason to eliminate the Little Kids.

Materials: food color, toothpicks, shaving cream, paper plates, plastic knives or popsicle sticks, napkins, cards or any cardstock (gift tags & bookmarks would work well too)

Procedure: 
Start by filling a paper plate with shaving cream.  Choose the basic, least expensive type of shaving cream you can find.  Use a plastic knife or popsicle stick to smooth the shaving cream into a relatively flat surface.

Add a few drops of food color to the shaving cream.  Here's a great spot to have a chat with your Kid Scientist about mixing colors..."What colors will I have when I mix blue and green?  Let's find out..."
Drag a toothpick through the colors & shaving cream to create any type of marbled pattern. 
Lay your card or other paper onto the marbled pattern.  Make sure you press the card into the shaving cream so that all the color is transferred to the paper.
Here's the messy part...pull the card off the shaving cream.  Using the knife or popsicle stick scrape the excess shaving cream off the card.  You can then use a paper towel or napkin to wipe the remaining shaving cream off the paper.  Clean as much off as possible.  The soap in the shaving cream adheres the food color to the card...you'll scrape of shaving cream, leaving the marbled pattern behind. 

Shaving cream can be reused several times.  In this example Aiden blended the blue & green leftovers he had scraped off a card, then he added yellow drops on top. 
Leave the cards out to completely  dry before packaging.
This is a messy science project!  However, shaving cream is essentially soap so the clean up happens fast!
The end result is a unique collection of handmade cards!

The Science Mommy would love to see pictures of your marbled cards!

2 Science Moms have commented...:

Destri said...

This is such a fun idea! My little guy loves to play with shaving cream, he had a chance to do it in preschool this year.
I'll send you some pics if we get a chance to make them :)

Wendy said...

My son & I just made your marbeling cards and although messy, it was very fun and exciting to see what design would be developed! Thanks for the idea I was starting to feel like we were stuck in a rut & I was at a loss for new creative ideas! Super fun! Our next project will be the maze. Can't wait! Please check out our designs on my blog @ noteveryoneagrees.blogspot.com