While lavender isn't my favorite scent, it is known for its calming benefits. It's a scent that can help kids (and adults!) wind down at the end of the day.
For this sensory activity, I decided to pair the calming scent of lavender with one of our favorite sensory bin materials: soap foam.
Now, if you've never played with soap foam before, you're missing out. I personally find the texture of soap foam to be calming and soothing. It's bubbly and silky feeling. And it's a great sensory material for kids who actively avoid gritty and rough textures such as sand.
So grab some liquid soap and get ready to try this calming lavender soap foam sensory play activity. It's great for kids of all ages and ridiculously easy to make.
Lavender Soap Foam Sensory Play: What You'll Need
For this lavender soap foam sensory bin, you'll need:
- Liquid soap
- Purple liquid watercolor or food coloring
- Electric hand-mixer, stand mixer, or blender
- Large sensory bin container
Before we can put the sensory bin together, we'll need to whip up some lavender scented soap foam. Don't worry, it's quick and easy to do!
How to Make Lavender Soap Foam for Sensory Play
Start by putting a big squirt of soap (I use castile soap) in a large container. Next, add a splash or two of water. Then start mixing the soap and water using an electric hand-mixer until you get a thick, frothy foam.
If you're using a blender or stand mixer, add the water and soap to the blender or the stand mixer bowl and mix it up until foamy.
Once you have the soap foam mixture, add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil and some purple liquid watercolors. Then mix it one last time. How much you will use depends on the size of the container and how purple you want the soap foam to be. So just eyeball it.
And that's it! You'll end up with a lovely foamy concoction like this:
This Lavender Soap Foam is a Wonderful Calming Sensory Activity for Kids!
You could certainly add some scoops and spoons to this sensory bin. But, honestly, both of my boys really enjoy just playing with the texture of the soap foam, swishing the bubbly mixture back and forth between their hands. Keeping things simple goes a long way!
Seriously, soap foam on its own is extremely calming and relaxing to play with. It's such a satisfying texture, in my opinion (and as I discussed earlier). But the vibrant purple hue and the added olfactory component? It really elevates things.
Just look at all those wonderful bubbles! You can almost touch it right through the screen...Honestly, I think I could seriously play with soap foam all day. So could my kids, I bet.
So that's our lavender soap foam sensory play activity. Are you going to give it a try?
