Shaving Cream and Sunshine

Who knew that a shaving cream project would be so perfect on a hot summer day? Apparently my kids did because they took this shaving cream idea and ran with it… literally.

It started as color mixing in Ziploc bags. One generous squirt of shaving cream plus a drop of food coloring per bag made for squishy fun as they watched color distribute throughout the foam. Knowing this would not satisfy their curiosity, I brought out two plastic containers on a tray (as if that would help contain the mess… ha!), reminded the kids that my birthday is coming up and asked if they would please decorate a cake for me. They didn’t get it at first but as soon as I cut a small triangle from the corner of each bag, their eyes lit up and they knew exactly what to do. The colorful shaving cream was fabulous fluffy frosting for my “cakes.”

Layer upon layer of pastel shaving cream covered the containers. Sara was more interested in building height with her “frosting” while William focused on details with a pattern of little blue peaks he created with his fingers. At this point he decided that hands were a far superior “tool” for cake decorating.

Sara followed suit but her technique was less delicate and more SPLAT

Before long, their hands were covered which inspired the next phase of this project. I knew it was coming...

"Look Mom, Foam Hands"

"OOOO, dis gives me an idea"



Up to their elbows in shaving cream and looking quite pleased with themselves, they took it to another level... and yes, I know, they always take it to another level.

Foam Fight!

"Freeze Girl"

That's right, I'm one tough foam dude 

Why was this so perfect for a hot summer day? The already warmed kiddy-pool served as the perfect spot for rinsing off when needed and sprinklers made it even more exciting. I have a pretty high threshold for tolerating a mess but I was very happy this project took place outside.

Farm School Finale

Temperatures spiked near 100 two summers ago and instead of the usual tractor-pulled hay ride and harvesting veggies during farm school, Farmers Erick and Wendy led us to the edge of the meandering Snoqualmie River. Nobody had swimsuits or towels and nobody cared. With 1 yr old Sara in my arms and 3 yr old William by my side we waded and splashed, cooled off, played and dug in the sand. It was beautiful.

I was reminded of that beautiful day last week when Farmer Erick showed us their irrigation system that pumps water from the river into their pipes and sprinkler system. “You don’t think we’d ever just turn these on for fun, do you?” he asked. The kids, having been taught all summer about how we don’t waste irrigation water when washing our hands off or getting a drink from the farm’s spigots, answered with a sober “no” but you could see a glimmer of hope in their eyes.  Farmer Erick did not disappoint.

A few tarps and one huge strip of plastic sheeting were placed on a hill, made secure with concrete bricks and then he let the irrigation pipes gush. The kids hesitated only for a few seconds before venturing into the flood but once they got started, the slipping and sliding was beyond fantastic.

William plunged in with all of his clothes on, didn’t even take off his hat... Sara did just the opposite

 

Photos were cropped and chosen carefully so Sara won’t despise me in her teen years (as if I can control such things).