Valentine's Day Sensory Art and Science Activity

Valentine’s Day is coming up and we’re getting ready to break out the heart art. Combining art and science is always fun – even for me as an adult! But, the kids probably love it more than I do (maybe?). The expanding Ivory soap experiment is usually a big hit. Even my 13-year-old will stand patiently at the microwave watching the soap fluff up. What does this have to do with Valentine’s arts and crafts? Read on to find out…

Last fall I used expanding Ivory soap (after it had settled and cooled) to make a chunky, textured finger paint. This time we’re going in a bit of a different direction. This time we’re making a textured Valentine’s Day heart. It’s sort of a variety of the shake the glitter over glue art activity.

Start with the soapy science:

Before you pop the bar of soap into the microwave ask your child what she thinks will happen. Jot down her predictions on a piece of paper. Write down each one that she makes – even if seems totally implausible (it’s all part of the scientific process).

Put the soap in a microwave-safe bowl that you don’t plan on using for food anymore. Every microwave varies, so you may need to tinker with the amount of time that you’ll need for the soap to expand. I like to use 30 second increments.

When you take the soap out have your child look at it and tell you which of her predictions came true. Do not let your child touch the soap. Even though it looks like a fluffy cloud, it is hot. Let it cool.

Now for the art-making:

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Red or pink cardstock paper

·        A marker or crayon

·        Scissors

·        Ivory soap (the expanded leftovers from the experiment)

·        Clear-drying school glue

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Fold the paper in half book-style.

2.     Draw half a heart, starting at the center fold of the paper.

3.     Cut the heart out.

 

4.     Open the paper to reveal a full heart (this is a great time to talk about math, fractions and symmetry).

 

5.     Draw a pattern on the heart with the glue. Your child can make zig-zags, swirls, polka dots, lines or any other design she wants.

 

6.     Gently flake the soap (make sure it is completely cool before doing this). Pull apart the thin edges, as this is easiest. As your child rubs the soap between her fingers it will turn into chunky flakes.

 

7.     Sprinkle the soap flakes over the glue to create a snowy texture.

 

8.     Tap the excess flakes back into the bowl of soap. Now your child has a fluffy, textured Valentine’s Day heart!

 

Are you looking for more creative crafts? Try making:

A heart-felt gift bag

A heart garland

 

 

And follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

Follow Mini Monets and Mommies's board Creative Kids Crafts on Pinterest.