Ivory Soap Science and Art

What kid doesn’t love the expanding Ivory soap in the microwave science experiment? If you haven’t done it before, it’s super-easy. Pop a bar of Ivory in the microwave (on a microwave-safe dish) and watch as it grows and molds itself into a cloud of soapy fluff. Every appliance varies, so the amount of time that your bar of soap needs may differ from mine. I started with 30 seconds, but had to add on more time. Be careful when you remove it. The fluffed-out soap is hot. Even though it will start to deflate as it cools, your child needs to wait before she touches it. As a bonus –your microwave will now smell soapy fresh!

 

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As if the heated Ivory exploration wasn’t fun enough on its own, we added an art activity to the soapy science. Take the sensory exploration up a notch, add some oil, spill on a few drips of tempera and turn the soap flakes into totally textured finger paints!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        The microwaved bar of Ivory soap

·        Vegetable or olive oil

·        Measuring spoons

·        Bowls or plastic-ware containers

·        Tempera paints in the primary colors (red, yellow and blue)

·        Wax paper

·        Paper

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Break off some of the soap explosion cloud that you’ve created. Put it in a bowl or plastic-ware container.

 

 

2.     Drizzle a teaspoon or so of vegetable or olive oil onto the soap. P.S. – This step sneaks a math lesson in. Let your child use the measuring spoons to add the oil. The oil will help the mixture to blend. If it still seems sticky, your child can add another teaspoon. If there’s too much, blot the soap with a paper towel.

 

3.     Spill the paint into the mix. The amount of paint that your child adds depends on how much soap you’re using. The equivalent of a teaspoon full (you probably don’t want to use the teaspoon that you cook with) is a good place to start.

4.     Mix the soap, oil and paint. Your child can use her hands to do this. If needed, add more paint.

 

5.     Pour the chunky soap paint onto a piece of wax paper. This acts as a barrier between the paint and your table.

6.     Repeat the steps for the other two primary colors.

 

7.     It’s finger painting time! Your child can blend together the primaries to create secondary colors (orange, green and purple) on a piece of construction paper or card stock.

 

Don’t worry about your child making “something”. The goal of this art activity is to explore the soap, discover the different textures (it’s bumpy, lumpy, chunky and smooth all at once) and ply with the colors. In the end, your child may just have an abstract masterpiece that rivals any contemporary work displayed in a museum.

Are you looking for more art and science activities? Follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

Follow Mini Monets and Mommies's board Preschool Art and Science Activities on Pinterest.