An Insightful Book & Paint Splattered Shaving Cream!
After reading Arree Chung’s “Mixed: A Colorful Story” we decided to combine two of our favorite messy sensory play activities – SHAVING CREAM + SPLATTER PAINTING! Whoo Hoo! If you like (or don’t mind 😉 ) Messy Sensory Play, this one is for you. So, let’s get started…
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Summary of “Mixed: A Colorful Story”
“Mixed: A Colorful Story” by Arree Chung is a wonderful book about a community of primary colors that lives happily together. Until one day, when one of the colors decides they are better than everybody else. 😮 This leads to the colors becoming segregated. 🙁 As time passes, two different colors fall in love, which causes quite the upset. I don’t want to give away the ending, but it is both happy and beautiful. I would definitely recommend this book.
Paint Splattered Shaving Cream?
You might be wondering… “What do you do with it?” or “How is this not just going to be a sensory mess?” There are many ways to answer these two common questions…
First, the most basic answer to “What you could do with Paint Splattered Shaving Cream?” is… have Messy Fun. Sensory play at its finest is not about “doing” something specific. It is about exploring, feeling, listening, watching, problem solving, creating, etc… This is an open-ended activity. Just as each child has their own unique personality, experience, and preference in play, the outcome of this activity is just as special.
As for the second question, Yes, this is definitely a messy one! But, I hear you. I’ve been asked that question many times. Therefore, a detailed answer, along with strategies for successful messy sensory play, can be found by reading, “What about the Sensory Mess?”
What We Did with the Paint Splattered Shaving Cream…
We tend to keep the activities as simple as possible around here. We’re not interested in complicated or costly. We are also all about fostering independence. So, for this activity my daughter worked her fine motor skills in pulling the shaving cream cap off (which was much harder than it looks) and squirting the shaving cream onto the tray herself.
Next, came her FAVORITE part, SPLATTERING the paint. If you have never splattered paint, I highly recommend it. Especially if you can be a bit of a control freak like me and have difficulty “letting go”. Splattering paint will help you feel like a kid again, guaranteed. Its just so freeing (and a bit nerve wracking 😮 )
We used primary colors (red, yellow & blue) to represent the colors in the story (and to help prevent it from instantly turning brown). She splattered one color at a time on top of the shaving cream. The heavier splatters, fell through the shaving cream, making cool craters, and fun to find bursts of color later on. Then came, diving in, she started with her hands, squishing, poking, swirling colors, rubbing hands together, submerging her hands into it fully, lifting them up, shaking her hands which led to splattered shaving cream everywhere (did I mention this is an outdoor activity? 😉 )
She had the best time. By the end, more shaving cream and paint were added for “round 2” when she had her feet submerged too, lol. Clean up was turning the sprinkler on and watching her run through it, after she helped clean off the tray, brushes & bowls! Messy fun Sensory Play!
I would suggest Paint Splattered Shaving Cream sensory play if you’re looking for a simple, messy, easy to clean up outdoor activity to connect with your child.
Materials We Used
- “Mixed: A Colorful Story” by Arree Chung (from the library or buy it here)
- Cans of shaving cream (we used 2 cans of unscented/sensitive skin)
- Red, Yellow & Blue Washable Paint
- Paint Brushes
- A sensory bin, container or tray
- Bowls for the paint
- Click HERE for Free Printable copy (Email Subscribers Only)
How to Make Paint Splattered Shaving Cream?
- Squeeze as much red, yellow & blue paint as you desire, each into its own bowl.
- Carry the bowls of paint, 3 paintbrushes, cans of shaving cream on the tray (or tupperware or sensory bin you’re using) outside where you will be playing with it.
- Take everything off the tray.
- Open the can of shaving cream.
- Squirt the shaving cream onto the tray (being mindful to keep it upright or else the air will escape and the cream will be trapped in the can forever 😮 )
- Dip the paintbrush into the paint and splatter it on top of the shaving cream.
- Repeat with each color of paint.
- Dig in and enjoy the messy, squishy, experience as you observe the colors mixing.
- You can always add more shaving cream and/or paint.
- It will eventually turn a light brown from all the mixing but thats okay.
- Allow creativity to happen. Perhaps you add some grass to it, or make shaving cream handprints on the grass like my daughter did. Or maybe, you see how squishy it can be between your toes? What about using the paintbrushes to paint with shaving cream on the sidewalk?
One of my favorite things about open-ended sensory play is all the different things it can turn into.
Click HERE for Free Printable copy (Email Subscribers Only)
Wait, There’s More…
I believe you can easily strengthen communication skills and foster independence all while playing and connecting with your child. To help you do this; I’ve created a FREE printable for each activity called, “Communicating & Connecting”.
It will give you a list of suggestions I’ve found very helpful as a Mom & as a special education teacher; to help you build lifelong skills. Please don’t feel obligated to do everything on the list (but if you do, you’re a rockstar 😉 ).
As a Thank You for subscribing; this is a special FREEBIE for our Email Subscribers Only. 🙂 Click here if you’ve already subscribed. Otherwise, Sign Up below to get the password & access to our entire FREE Printables Library today! 😉
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