Fingerpainting with Soapy Foam
It’s hard to imagine that soap and water-- combined with kids-- could be so messy! Relax, enjoy, and involve
kids in cleaning up (Remember, it’s only soap and colored water.) Our kids and
teachers love this one.
Objectives
Children participating will be able to predict what 2 primary
colors will make when combined, e.g. red + yellow = orange and they will be
able to stay with an activity for a long period of time SE III
Children ages 4-5 years will be able to use a variety of actions on an object
to define its nature Cog. I
and children ages 2 ½-5 years will be able to name or match one to three
colors Lang. IB
Children 2 ½ and under can manipulate the egg beater. FM I
Materials
Soap flakes in a bowl;
3-4 small pitchers or cups of water; 2-3 hand rotary egg beaters; food coloring
in plastic squeeze containers that dispense one drop at a time; 2-3 mixing
bowls; pre-drawn geometric shapes; cafeteria trays (poster paint may be substituted
but its not as dramatic).
Procedures
1. Put small pitchers of water, several bowls of soap flakes
with spoons, and red, yellow, and blue food coloring in the center of the
table. Let two or three kids share a bowl and an eggbeater. Have them pour a
cup or so of water into the bowl and beat it with the eggbeater. Let each child
add a spoonful of soap and beat. Then add food coloring and continue beating.
Use this 3-step process to acquaint the children with the transformation of
materials. Talk with them about soap and food coloring and how they interact
with water. Let the kids take turns beating the mixture until a thick froth has
been made.
2. Give each child a tray and let him spoon some of the froth onto it and
finger paint. As the children finger paint with one color, show them examples
of the shapes and ask them to try drawing the shapes on their trays.
3. When they are ready to add another color, ask them to predict what color
combination it will make. Use only three primary colors the first few times the
project is done so that children will be able to remember combinations more
easily.
4. As the project ends, the children can make a soapy mountain on the table
with all the foam. Hide things in it, make tunnels, watch colors blend
together, etc. This creates a little added mess, but its great fun.
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