This fun activity is written for partners, siblings and loved ones of Mom to help her child create something special that Mom can pamper herself with. Warning – this activity requires patience. If you feel this is too complex, don’t despair, I will post easier activities too. If you do give it a try, please take a photo of you and your child making the bath bombs and send it to contact@parentingwithnatacha.com. I will enter you into a draw for a $100 gift card to amazon – you earned it!

In honour of Mother’s Day, here’s a recipe for homemade bath bombs that your child can make, using simple, natural ingredients that you most likely already have at home (and no citric acid). These are bath bombs Mom will love to use. They float beautifully on the surface as they dissolve, and if you make a few extra, even your child can pamper themselves with a nice fizzy bath, as this recipe is safe for children to use. Prepare to be amazed!

Best Ages For This Activity

Three to five.

How To Make It

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (260g) baking powder
  • 1/8 cup (30g) sweet almond oil (you can substitute for grapeseed oil or avocado oil)
  • 3 tbsp (45 ml) apple cider vinegar

Optional Ingredients

  • 1 tsp (5g) vanilla oleoresin essential oil – this will give it a pleasant scent
  • 4 drops of soap dye – you don’t need this. No colour will give you white bath bombs, whereas these will add colour
  • ¼ cup cake sprinkles – you also don’t need these, but they are what you see in the picture, they decorate the bath bombs.
  • You can also use ¼ cup dried flowers for Mom and have your bath bombs look like these instead (bonus – you don’t need soap dye, they look good in white!)

  • A few spritzes or drops of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol – this is just in case your bath bomb mixture is too dry to keep its shape. Spritz until you have the right consistency.
  • Muffin cups. I have silicone muffin cups I use at home for baking, which are ideal. Alternatively, you can purchase bath bomb molds – you don’t need them unless you want round bath bombs.

Let’s Get Started!

  1. In a small container, mix the sweet almond oil, soap dye and the essential oil together, using a spoon.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the baking powder and the sweet almond oil mixture. It’s better to use a mixer if you have one, but you can do it by hand. You might have to help our child a little.
  3. Once mixed, add the apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon at a time, and mix really fast to avoid a reaction. You’ll still get a little bubbling, that’s ok.
  4. The bath bomb mixture should feel like damp sand once you add all the vinegar. If not, add a little more vinegar.
  5. Add the sprinkles or dried flower petals and mix. If you like, you can add a few dried flowers or sprinkles to the bottom of the mould, so they are right on top of the bath bomb once it dries, like this:

  1. Pour into the muffin cups / bath bomb moulds. Pack it lightly, loosely, not too tight.
  2. If using the moulds, press them tightly together once they are both full. This will make the two halves stick together.
  3. Using a spoon, tap on the mould, then carefully lift off one half (one mould), turn the bath bomb around and remove the other half. Because these bath bombs are non-toxic, they are a little more fragile than the bath bombs that use citric acid in their recipe, which means you might have to try a few times before you get it right. And by you, I mean your child.
  4. Place the bath bomb on a lined tray and let dry for 24 hours (somewhere where Mom won’t look) – if you’re not the best planner, don’t worry. You can use the bath bombs as soon as they’re ready.
  5. Voilà! You made bath bombs.

Learning Opportunities

This is a great S.T.E.M. and science activity. Because your child will be measuring and using other mathematical skills, it also is a great math. Make sure you use math vocabulary by paying attention to colours, to intensity (of scents, of colours), to density, etc. Your child will also learn to CEFA by making something for their mother and will spend quality time with you while making it. Also, this is a highly sensorial activity. Take the time to explore the scents, the colours, the textures, to enhance the sensory learning, which will lead to writing. Making the bath bombs will also use your child’s fine motor skills, essential for writing.

Extended Learning Opportunities

While making the bath bombs, have a conversation with the child about their Mom. What do they appreciate about Mom? What are their fondest memories? Talk about their Mom, about what things she likes, about what she was like as a child, etc.

Show the child how to wrap a present and help them write or draw on a card.

CEFA tip: Remember to let the child do as much of the process as they are capable of. I know this is a hard activity and you will have to help a bit more than usual, but keep in mind that the child should be doing as much as they can.

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