Winter Bathtub Activities

I saw a lot of pictures of people bringing in snow for their kids to play in the bathtub. Well, the temperature dropped a lot today, and I didn't want to go out and haul in snow, so I created a warm environment for snow play. 

I started by making "hot cocoa" snow. I dumped a packet of hot cocoa in a container filled with shaving cream. It created a great scent. 

Then I made fake snow. I dumped a mound of baking soda in a bowl for each kid. Slowly add a little bit of water to the baking soda until it becomes moldable. It doesn't take a lot of water. It does feel just like snow too. They had fun making fake snowballs. 

The kids put on their bathing suits, I ran nice warm water in the tub, dropped some blue food coloring in it, and they set out to play. 

They made a snowman on the walls of the bathtub. I gave them three squirts of shaving cream so they could make their snowballs. I had already cut out felt eyes, hats, and noses, so they applied those to their snowman. 

 The hot cocoa paint was the 2-year-old's favorite. She painted all over the walls of the tub. The boys were more interested in the fake snow and making "potions" out of the mixtures. 

When they were all done playing, we added some vinegar to their fake snow potions and watched it fizz. When they were all done in the tub, I turned on the shower and rinsed them all off. They had a blast!