DIY Toy Soap

Now that we finally have some real storage in our house, we've been able to start moving in things we've had stowed away for years (which makes our parents, who've been the lucky trustees of all random sorts, very happy). Recently, Nona brought down a storage crate full of some of my candle-making supplies. They've been stored at her house, not coincidentally, for the last 6 years. Back in the day, I used to LOVE making and gifting candles. The kids were very intrigued, but I figured before we dove in to mixing up boiling vats of wax, I'd start them out on something a little easier: glycerin soap!

This project is super easy, but very quickly makes ton of fun, pop-arty soap. And you can adapt it to whatever most interests your kiddo by picking their favorite toys to use. You might even encourage them to get cleaned up -- seeing as they can only get to the toy by using up the soap! 

Ingredients

- small silicone soap mold (we used these) 

- clear glycerin soap base 

- liquid soap colors 

- small toys that will fit snuggly in mold 

Directions

1. Place toys in each soap mold, considering that the bottom of the mold will be the top of the finished product. So you'll want to orient the toy accordingly. 

2. Have kiddos help cut soap base into 1 ounce cubes -- it's pre-scored, so it's not too difficult. How much you need for each soap depends on the size of your mold, but you'll need just slightly less than the each cavity holds. 

3. In a glass container, microwave the amount of base for 1 soap for 40 seconds. Stir, and then microwave in additional 10-second intervals as needed until base melts completely. 

4. Add a bit of color to the melted base. We had the best luck with using the colors sparingly -- the soap will dry brighter than you think and you still want to be able to see the toy inside. To make the soaps have a pop art quality, use brightly-colored toys and contrasting bright soap colors. 

5. Carefully pour the melted soap into one mold cavity. If the toy is much smaller than the mold and starts to float, you can add just a bit to the bottom of the mold and let the toy dry in place. Once dry, fill remainder of mold. If you like, play around with making different colored layers -- just let each layer dry for about 5 - 10 minutes before adding the next.

6. Repeat steps 1 - 5 for each soap mold. Let soap dry for 20-40 minutes, then apply gently pressure to release from molds.