13 replies to this topic

[dbbriggs]

we are running out of malleable ideas. we know you can use foam but how does everyone make it? i know you have to be careful about allergies.

Help!!

Dawn

[Galleon]

Hi Dawn,
We use shaving foam for sensitive skin and have never had any problems ... it is great with cars, dinosuars, polar bears in or just on its own to make patterns / write your name in.
We also love cornflour which can be solid and liquid at the same time. Have you tried jelly, made up, mashed up to create a sticky imaginary world or custard or mashed potato with herbs in for extra interest ... mmm lovely !
Shaving foam is great though because it is messy, but less sticky !

Galleon

[Galleon]

Hi Dawn,
We use shaving foam for sensitive skin and have never had any problems ... it is great with cars, dinosuars, polar bears in or just on its own to make patterns / write your name in.
We also love cornflour which can be solid and liquid at the same time. Have you tried jelly, made up, mashed up to create a sticky imaginary world or custard or mashed potato with herbs in for extra interest ... mmm lovely !
Shaving foam is great though because it is messy, but less sticky !

Galleon

[Galleon]

Ooops I'm having technical problems with my computer so just posted twice, and I'm at home ill ... something is not working properly ... probably me !

[Beau]

If you search under playdough and sensory you will get lots of previous threads relating to this. :D

[LJW]

You can use pure soap flakes from the washing aisle in the supermarket. Add hot water to flakes and then whizz up with a food mixer. Great fun but not good for excema sufferers obviously. Can be adapted though for children with allergies who can paint with it or use a glue spreader - makes fantastic textured pictures - we used it for swans, not quite 2d and nearly 3d! Definitely makes a change. You can add paint or colouring too.

[LJW]

Another idea I have tried having seen it in a book is shredded paper that has been well soaked and then blended with a handheld blender. Its messy but fun. The children squeezed out handfuls and then moulded it into simple shapes - pre-schoolers couldn't do much more than this. We made ladybirds which they painted when they dried out. Links well to recycling too! Newsprint is ok but it would be interesting to try scrap paper etc to vary colour.

[qu1dzy]

Our children love shaving foam, but I just use Tesco value and as of yet have had no allergy problems. We mix it with a bit of paint to explore colours. We also use salt dough, clay, soil, cornflour or I prefer to use custard powder.

Net x

[Peggy]

I've always worried about shaving foam because it has warnings on the can ( looked a long time ago but sure it had an X in red and the message keep away from children). This warning may be because it is an aerosole and not because of the contents. ( as children are supervised they obviously won't be sniffing it )

I am aware though that a lot of settings use it and like others have said it appears to be lots of fun, with no allergies.

I would like to ask has any one experienced, or what if, the shaving foam gets in the eyes?

Peggy

[Carolyn C]

If you are worried about allergic reactions to shaving foam (and we have never had any problem with this either) we sometimes squirt some in a zipper bag, add a few drops of various colours of food colouring , seal it up (you can put sellotape on for extra safety) and the resulting "squish bag" is great fun and the children enjoy seeing what happens as the colours mix in.

Carolyn

[Linda McDowell]

We use shaving foam and the children love it! I like the idea though of putting it into plastic bags and squashing it. One time the boys discovered that if you clapped your hands the foam went everywhere. Nobody managed to get it in their eyes-which was something of a miracle. But I suppose Peggy it is like most things you use in pre-school, like sand, soapy water, soap flakes, glue etc. It would be a case of washing with clear water and contacting parents if you were concerned that the child needed further medical attention.
Linda

[pandamonium]

We used shredded paper in our sand tray, not mixed with water - just as it was. Within 20 seconds it was all out and on the floor and we had a room of hamsters!! That was it then, we went outside with boxes nad tunnels and built on the theme - fantastic child led activity eh? If I'd planned that it so wouldn't have happened!

[Emmamur01]

We use soap flakes, cornflour and sloppy sand.

I have to say my fave is cornflour....I love it!

[Dianne]

First time I used shaving foam (Sensitive type) a child rubbed it into her eyes. I was very worried indeed, but we washed it out, waited it out and after around 20 minutes she was fine. But it obviously stung very badly at first. I did tell mum, obviously, at the end of the day - she was fine about it - and there were no long term effects as far as I know. But a horrible moment all the same, and I havn't used it again.

Dianne