Shaving Cream Magic: 3 Fun STEAM Activities for Kids
Children are natural scientists, explorers, and problem-solvers! Our STEAM activities that we share help nurture their creativity and curiosity with new and exciting concepts.
Today is all about shaving cream!
Shaving cream can be such a useful supply for STEAM activities. In this blog post I'm going to share a little about STEAM activities, why they are important, and give you three fun STEAM activities to try at home that use shaving cream. I'll also include a free downloadable book where your children can write their hypothesis and results and include a drawing for each of the three activities.
What is STEAM Education?
STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. STEAM is a learning approach that integrates a combination of these learning modalities.
Why are STEAM Activities and STEAM Education Important in Early Childhood?
STEAM education helps individuals develop a range of skills including, but not limited to, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, creativity, collaboration, and more.
STEAM education is extremely beneficial in early childhood. STEAM is considered inquiry instruction, is hands-on, and supports the development of many skills.
Here are a few benefits to STEAM learning in early childhood:
- builds confidence and self-esteem
- develops critical thinking skills
- encourages imagination and creativity
- fosters communication and collaboration skills
- fosters sensory development
- exploration of different interests
- career readiness
Now let's get into the activities. These three STEAM activities all use foaming shaving cream as one of the main supplies.
Activity #1: Shaving Cream Rain Cloud
Create your own rain cloud! You will observe how this weather phenomenon works with shaving cream and colors.
Supplies (all linked here):
- shaving cream (foaming kind, not gel)
- food coloring
- clear cup or jar
- water
Directions:
- Fill your clear cup or jar 1/2 way with water.
- Add a thick layer of shaving cream. Be sure that a it doesn't reach the top of the jar or cup.
- Add a few drops of food coloring to the top of the cloud. We like to add more drops on one side of the shaving cream, and then fewer drops on the other side of the shaving cream to compare!
- Wait and observe. Add more food coloring drops as needed.
The Science Behind It
In this experiment, you create your own rain cloud. The shaving cream is the cloud, the food coloring is the rain, and the water is the air. The "rain" (food coloring) saturates the "cloud" (shaving cream), which means it adds so much liquid to the cloud that no more water can be absorbed. The cloud gets heavy as it becomes saturated, and eventually is so heavy it cannot hold any more liquid...so it rains to release the liquid!
Activity #2: Shaving Cream Art Creations
Design unique art creations through sensory play with shaving cream, food coloring, and a scraper!
Supplies (all linked here):
- shaving cream (foaming kind, not gel)
- fork
- index card or gift card
- paper cardstock shape (or just white cardstock paper)
- food coloring or washable tempera paint in a few colors
- baking dish or tray
Directions:
- Add a layer of shaving cream to your baking dish or tray. Smooth it evenly if needed.
- Drop food coloring randomly around the shaving cream. Use as many colors as you like. Alternatively, you can use tempera paint.
- Use the fork (or a toothpick or chop stick) to swirl the colors and create designs in the shaving cream. Optional: Make designs on the cardstock with a permanent marker first.
- Press the cardstock flat onto the shaving cream, then flip art-side up and lay flat.
- Scrape off the excess shaving cream using the edge of the index card. Let dry and admire.
The Science Behind It
The soap in shaving cream has a hydrophilic (water-loving) end and a hydrophobic (water-fearing) end. When the food coloring (a water-loving substance) is dropped onto the shaving cream, the hydrophobic end of the soap stops the food coloring from spreading, letting it be swirled into your design. Paper and cardstock are composed mainly of cellulose (another water-loving substance), so it absorbs the food coloring, allowing it to be permanent, and allows the shaving cream to be scraped away!
Activity #3: Fluffy Slime
The air pockets, which are a signature characteristic of shaving cream, take slime to a FLUFFY new level!
Supplies (all linked here):
- 1.5 cups shaving cream (foaming kind, not gel)
- .25 cup washable glue
- .5 tsp baking soda
- .5 tsp contact solution (one that contains boric acid)
- 2-3 drops food coloring (optional)
- large mixing utensil
- large bowl
Directions:
- Place the shaving cream and glue in a large bowl. Optional: Add a few drops of food coloring. Gently mix.
- Add the baking soda and mix.
- Add the contact solution and mix.
- Knead the slime for 5-10 minutes until it becomes non-sticky.
- Play, stretch, knead, explore, and play!
The Science Behind It
Mixing PVA (polyvinyl acetate) from the glue and the borate ions (contact solution) is called cross-linking and creates a substance that is really stretchy. The air pockets in the shaving cream, in addition to the hydrophobic ends of the aisle (remember that term from the Shaving Cream Art activity?) add a fluffiness to the slime!
If you want the free downloadable booklet that includes all the supplies, directions, and fill-in pages, download it here. If you can print it in adobe, you can choose "booklet" and print it that way and fold it into a little booklet.
Have fun!
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