Photography: Julie Toy; Styling: Jennifer Flanagan
For Ages: 18 months to 4 years
Time: 15 minutes plus a couple days’ drying time
What You’ll Need
* 1 bar gentle white soap
* cheese grater
* 3 tablespoons water
* ice cube trays, candy molds or other fun-shaped molds (they come in great shapes like dolphins, or the long, thin style that makes ice sticks to slip into water bottles, which make great writing implements)
* vegetable oil
* food coloring (preferably paste-style, cake-decorating coloring)
What to Do
1. Grate soap into fl akes by sliding the bar over the cheese grater. You and your toddler can mix soap and water together with your hands to make a stiff dough.
2. Divide the dough into several balls. Coat the insides of the molds, and your hands and your toddler’s hands with vegetable oil to make fi nished crayons slip out easily and to avoid staining your skin with food coloring. Add food coloring to each portion of dough to make rich colors. Mix with your hands.
3. Press mixture into oiled molds and let dry (this may take a few days).
4. Bring dried crayons to the tub for a bathtime art session your toddler will love.
(Note: For best results, direct your tot to write or draw with them on dry portions of the tub.)
Bath-time is a blast with these DIY soap crayons! Make your own in less than 15 minutes.
