Have yourself a clean Christmas. Christmas craft ideas + soap = good, clean fun! Elvis sang about a blue Christmas, and Bing’s Christmas was white. So how do you have a clean Christmas? When you get out the soap and gather the kids for some clean and festive art projects.
Added bonus: Your kid’s hands have never been so clean!
Snow Clay
Looks like snow, but won’t melt away.
- 2 cups powdered laundry detergent (such as ivory Snow or Blanca Nieves)
- 1/3 cup hot water
- Electric mixer
- 1. In a mixing bowl, combine the detergent with the hot water.
- 2. Using the electric mixer, beat on high until the mixture is thick and paste-like.
- To mold your creations, work on a washable surface. You can also use a plastic tray or metal baking sheet, one per kid.
- If you want your creations to be permanent, let them dry out overnight. You can press sequins into the clay while it’s still moist, or glue on decorations after it dries. Once it dries, you can also paint your sculptures with tempra or acrylic paints, but I like the snowy whiteness of its appearance. Great for making snowmen, snowflakes, and snow-covered trees.
Soap Paint
Decorate your windows with this paint that’s easy to clean off! (Makes 8 cups)
- 1 bar of mild white soap
- 1 cup of warm water
- Food colors
- Electric mixer
- Using a kitchen grater, grate the bar of soap into shavings.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the soap shavings and the water. For best results, let the mixture sit up to an hour, to allow the soap shavings to soften. Then beat the mixture with the electric mixer until smooth.
- For more than one color, divide into smaller bowls. Add food color until you reach the desired shade.
Now you’re ready to paint! If your kids are messy, you may want to put down some newspapers on the floor in front of the window they’re going to decorate. True, it’s just soap and easy to clean up, but this will make clean-up even easier. Using sponge paint brushes, let the kids do their artsy thing. Afterward, when you’re ready to remove their festive paintings, scrape off the dried soap and clean as normal.
Any “paint” that’s left over can be used up for hand-washing later.
