“Today, the lovely Charlene from Teacher by trade, Mother by nature is joining the Always Made With Love family and sharing a super fun messy play idea with you all. This one is perfect for all the hot, sunny Summer days we having been having here in the Southern hemisphere and one to file away for warmer days (for those of you in the North). I love the simplicity of it, which has meant I have already been able to do this with Sebastian – he had a ball!”
Hello Always Made With Love readers! My name is Charlene and it is great to be here, guest blogging for Lydia. I am a primary school teacher and mother of two, which inspired me to name my blog Teacher by trade, Mother by nature. I am super excited to share a messy Play Idea with you today – an activity your children will absolutely love and is perfect to play with, during the warmer months. Enjoy!
Would you believe me if I told you, you can make snow in Summer? It’s true, you can…it’s called Summer Snow and all you need is one ingredient. Yes, you read right, just one ingredient…shaving cream.
Tip: You may prefer to buy a ladies shaving cream from a dollar store, as they have a range of different scents that will be much nicer for the nose, as opposed to the men’s range, which is quite potent.
Here’s what you do:
Spray a can of shaving cream into a plastic tub, that is big enough to fit in your freezer, and leave it to set over night. Take it out on a hot, Summer day, and have your child break up the ‘snow’ with a spoon. Your child will be amazed at the fluffy, powdery snow-like substance and be ready to get stuck in.
Summer Snow is cold to touch, and because of this, it might become quite popular during the warmer months, as it will be a great way to have fun and keep cool at the same time. (Lucky it’s an inexpensive play idea). Like real snow, this faux snow will melt when handled, and eventually will return to it’s original consistency, but will stay cold for a while. This is where the ‘messy play’ element comes in to effect, making it even more fun for the kids.
The great thing about messy play is that children are encouraged to use their hands and fingers, even their feet and bodies to experiment with. You can add a range of play equipment, such as shovels and buckets or whatever else your child might like to use for ‘snow’ play, however exploring and experimenting with the different texture, will be enough to keep the kids entertained for some time.
The great thing about messy play is that children are encouraged to use their hands and fingers, even their feet and bodies to experiment with. You can add a range of play equipment, such as shovels and buckets or whatever else your child might like to use for ‘snow’ play, however exploring and experimenting with the different texture, will be enough to keep the kids entertained for some time.
We (parents) can support our children by joining in, showing them it’s okay to get messy, and using descriptive words, such as cold, fluffy, soft, smooth etc. Set up the messy play area outside, either on the grass or on a table, and have a hand-washing station close by.
IMPORTANT: For the safety of children, adult supervision is recommended at all times during this play activity.
What do you reckon? Will you give ‘Summer Snow’ a go with your children?
Charlene
If you liked this PLAY IDEA, you might also like:
Thank you so much for having me Lydia! Summer Snow is so much fun! I would love to see photos of Sebastian playing with it (if you took some) 🙂 Have a great week. If you get the chance, Link up with My Bored Toddler, Mom Explores or Kidz Activities on Friday for #ToddlerFunFriday.
Oh my gosh I’m literally doing this right now. I just told my kids about it as they were heading off to bed and they’re so excited to see the snow in the morning! We live in a warmer part of California so snow is a real big deal to us. Thanks so much, they can’t wait!! (And neither can I – looks like so much fun!)
Awesome Christy, you and the kids are going to have blast! Let me know how you get on.
Charlene (Teacher by trade, Mother by nature)
How did you go Christy? Did your kiddies have lots of fun (more importantly did you have fun?)xx
This looks great, Charlene! My kids are a bit jealous of the pictures of their cousins playing in the snow, so I think we will give this a go and see if we can make a snowman to surprise our cousins. It won’t be as big as theirs though!
Thanks Karen. I’m sure you will be able make a little snowman. Have fun! Would love to see a photo when and if you give it a go.
How did you get on Karen? What did your kids think of the ‘Summer Snow’? xx
These look AMAZING! I love that there is snow in the summer. This would be good for when it’s cold and not snowy too! I could probably put a tub of shaving cream outside right now and it would freeze. But there’s very little snow for us to play with. Great idea!!
Thank you for sharing with Made For Kids. We have made a few exciting changes that we would love for you to check out. We will be live Sundays @10pm est. Hope to see you there!
http://www.playdoughandpopsicles.com/category/everything-kids-link-pin-party/
Thanks for stopping by. I love your changes will be stopping by again when I have the chance xx
I am going to put some in the freezer right now Luke felt cheated by the lack of snow at Christmas…. Thanks p
Such a good idea isn’t it and I love that it is so easy. I hope Luke enjoys it! xx
What a lovely, fun, idea. I love play setups like this!
Thanks for sharing and linking up on the #SHINEbloghop.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
They are great aren’t they! I love how they invite the kids to use their imagine 🙂
Thanks for stopping by xx
It’s so simple but definitely looks like a lot of fun! I heard of a teacher using shaving cream for kids to practice writing letters with their fingers. Thanks for sharing on Toddler Fun Friday
I have heard of that too, sounds like fun if you ask me!
Thanks for stopping by xx