Soapy Shapes Craft

Turn a boring bar of soap into crafty creations.

Submitted by
Laura

Let the kids get down and dirty with a cool (and squeaky clean) craft. Bath soap crayons are surprisingly simple, inexpensive and fun to make. Better yet, this craft may just entice your stinky post-soccer practice star into the bath after all!

Bar soap:
Preferably white.
Water
A large bowl
Cheese grater
Food coloring
Paper towels

Give your kid the cheese grater and a bar of soap and have him get shredding. He'll need to grate the soap over a large bowl. If you're working with younger kids (or have slicing-and-dicing-prone children), pre-shred the soap or ask an older sibling to prep.
Next, have your kid add a few drops of water and food coloring to the grated soap.
Get him to use his hands to work the food coloring into the grated soap and knead it into a pliable ball that's the consistency of Play-Doh. (You might need to add more water to get there.)
When the soap is the right consistency, have your kid pull off pieces and shape them into crayons, brushes, letters or whatever he comes up with. (After all, it's in the name of hygiene!)
If you are making crayon shapes, know that crayons formed to be one-inch thick work best.
When he's all done shaping, have him place the soap crayons and shapes on a paper towel to dry overnight. Make sure to put them in a cool, dry place where little hands won't be tempted to poke, pull or play with them.
Look forward to the next night's bath when the kids will be happy to stay in the tub coloring themselves, the walls and everything else they can leave their mark (temporarily) on!
Older kids can get in the spirit by making soap in school colors, mascot shapes or other awesome designs. If they're the entrepreneurial type, they can place dried soap into cellophane bags and sell their wares as a fundraiser, or to get a new game for their Wii.