Shaving Cream “Giant Magna Doodle” Activity
Create a giant shaving cream “Magna Doodle” for fun and learning with 2 simple items: a table-top and a can of shaving cream.
My kids love playing with shaving cream. It’s such a great sensory substance. My daycare toddlers and preschoolers love it when we squirt it right onto a table top so they can create art and practice their drawing and writing skills. It’s kind of like a giant magna doodle – they do their drawing, doodling and writing, and then they swipe their hand through the shaving cream to clean the slate and start again.
If you’ve been following along with us, you’ve likely heard me mention the 6 dollar, second-hand coffee table. It serves as an indoor craft table during the winter months, and an outdoor activity table during the warmer months. I love it because it’s large enough for the children to gather around comfortably, and its laminate top makes it stain-proof and water-proof.
Side-note: – this is also a great way to clean a kid’s art table at home or in the classroom.
Want a smaller version of this activity?
Check out our Shaving Cream Writing Tray for Preschoolers
Creating your shaving cream magna doodle:
This morning, I took a can of shaving cream to the table, and presented the hooligans with this:
At the sound of the spray-can, they came running, and gathered around, curious about what I was up to. “Is it for us?” they asked. “Yep”, I said. “What do we do with it?” one of them asked. I replied very simply: “Whatever you’d like”.
There was a moment of hesitation, and then a few cautious fingers poked at the cream.
And it wasn’t long before they were burying their hands in the foam, and spreading it around the table, making swirls and pattern. Then they would wipe it all out and start fresh. That’s when I realized that what we had in front of us was just like a giant Magna Doodle!
Who doesn’t love a Magna Doodle? We use ours all the time for fun learning activities, but when you make it life-size and add a sensory twist, it’s better than ever!
The kids made shaving cream handprints and created oodles of doodles in the soft, fluffy foam.
We drew pictures and wrote our names, and swirling our hands and fingers around in the shaving cream.It was such a wonderful sensory experience. The soft, fluffy shaving cream, little hands gliding around on the slippery table-top and it smelled amazing!
When the table became covered with patterns and drawings, they would slide their hands down the length of the table, swiping the surface “clean” to start again.
Cleaning hands:
We had a large bowl and a towel sitting beside the table, so the kids could rinse their hands whenever they wanted to.
For those who don’ t enjoy messy play:
One little guy wasn’t big on getting his hands as messy as this activity required, so after a while, I handed out some paint-brushes and they had a go with those.
Shaving cream is an absolutely delightful substance to in your sensory activities, but as always, you know your child best. If there are skin sensitivities or a risk of your child eating it, please hold off until your child is a bit older.
More Ways to Play with Shaving Cream:
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
