At one point when S was a toddler and had been very sick, we fed her some Jello.  After she'd recovered, she was very interested in playing in it.  We tried that out, and it was a lot of fun, but it was SO sticky because of the sugar content that I wanted to find a better way.  So I decided to make her just plain unflavored gelatin to play in.  I hid things inside to dig out and that's how our gelatin play evolved. 

 Plain gelatin doesn't leave that sugary residue that Jello does, but it really does not smell pleasant (in my opinion), so I thought this time I'd add some Duncan Hines Frosting Creations .  I added just a little of the Cotton Candy flavor, since it was the only blue one I could find, and it actually made it really beautiful.  I don't know if the pictures do it justice, but it just glowed.  It was really neat.  It also smelled pretty.  :)  If you don't want to spend the extra money on the Frosting Creations, you can do just plain gelatin, or you can do food coloring or liquid watercolors.

Ingredients for gelatin play:

unflavored gelatin

(Optional:  Food Coloring/Liquid Watercolors (What are Liquid Watercolors?)/Frosting Creations Packet)

Helping me stir to dissolve the gelatin.  I'd found these cute little fish for S at a second hand store this past weekend and knew they'd look cute in little blue gelatin oceans.

After refrigerating overnight, they were ready to go!

I just used little Solo cups for the molds, but they are a little hard to get out.  I suspect a silicone mold would work better.  This was X's first experience with gelatin.  He was a little weirded out at first, so sis showed him the ropes.

After that, he was ready to dive in!

He had so much fun watching her play.  She was making "gelatin clouds" that were raining.

Showing him a big chunk of it.

S was putting pieces on her feet and squealing.  "Mama, it's cold and MUSH-ITY!"

Always so proud to be able to play with "big kid stuff".

It was SO pretty with the Frosting Creations added!

Always interested in the full body experience, S needed to get hands AND feet involved in the play.

The picture below is from another gelatin playtime, I think before X was born.  Here we've added red food coloring, glitter, and some plastic animals that S selected.

And another gelatin playtime, probably around 18 months.  That time I did just clear gelatin with colored buttons and sequins "buried" inside.

Follow along with Fun at Home with Kids on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest or Subscribe by Email or Bloglovin'!

All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.