Glycerin Soaps: So Easy A Toddler Can (Help) Make It

 

Today I'm sharing a really fun and easy way for small kids to help make a simple, useful gift for family, friends, or teachers.

As a former teacher myself, I can tell you that one person can only have so many knick-knacks. Useful and consumable gifts like are truly best, and these glycerin soaps definitely fall into that category. So when I won a Glycerin Soap Kit* from New Leaf Wellness, I knew exactly what we were going to do with it.

*I enter blog giveaways pretty regularly, but this was the first I've ever won, so it was very exciting. It was also really neat because Kelly and I have developed a "blogging friendship." Though we've never met in person, we've gotten to know each other through the blogging biz, and if we lived closer to each other, I could totally see us getting together for a play date. :-)

We were approaching the end of the year for our MOPs program, and I wanted to do something to show our appreciation for his teachers. Managing a room full of two-year-olds is not easy, and trying to do a craft and a lesson on top of that puts them in line for sainthood in my book. (I love Kiddo, but a class full of toddlers is not my thing. That's why I taught fifth grade.)

I wanted Kiddo to be involved with the thank you gift because I think it's truly important to teach children gratitude and the joy of giving. This glycerin soap was a perfect gift for him to make. All you have to do is melt the glycerin in the microwave, add coloring and essential oils, and pour it into the mold.


Kiddo loved helping with the process! He pushed the start button on the microwave, stirred the glycerin, added the color and (a bit too much) essential oil, and helped me pour it into the mold. We made three soaps one morning, and as soon as lunch was over, Kiddo asked to make "more soaps for the teachers."

The best part about doing this project with a toddler is that even if there are spills (and trust me, there were), it's soap! That means I could wipe up the mess and clean the counters at the same time! Win-win, right?

Easy Melt & Pour Glycerin Soaps

 Yield: Eight (4 ounce) bars of soap

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Materials:

• 2 pounds Clear Melt & Pour Glycerin Soap Base
• Liquid Soap Colors
• Essential Oils for Scent (Optional - We used Sweet Orange and Peppermint) 
• 4 ounce Soap Molds 
• Spray Bottle with Rubbing Alcohol
• Glass Measuring Cup and spoon (for melting)

Directions:

1. Cut the soap base into 4 ounce pieces. 
2. Place one 4 ounce chunk into the glass measuring cup and melt in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave at 10 second intervals until it is completely melted.
3. Stir in 1-3 drops of dye, depending on how bright you want the color. 
4. Add a few drops of essential oil, if desired. 25 drops (1/4 teaspoon) is a 1% dilution, but I found that to be way too strong. I found that 2-3 drops left a light scent that wasn't overpowering.
5. Immediately pour into the mold and lightly spray the top with rubbing alcohol to remove the bubbles. 
6. Allow soap to harden for at least an hour, then loosen the sides and pop it out of the mold.

Repeat the above steps until you've made all eight bars of soap. To give the the soaps as gifts, wrap each soap tightly like a present with a square of plastic wrap, taping the ends together on the bottom. I used these really cute printable labels from New Leaf Wellness to finish them off.


And there you have it: an easy gift that your small child can help you make. Kiddo was so proud to tell his teachers that he made their soaps! :-)

 If you're looking for some other hand-made or kid-made gifts, here are a few that I've shared before:

    

   

What's your favorite hand-made gift to give or receive?

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