We had so much fun with our Rainbow Foam Dough post that we decided to get in the holiday spirit this last week (even though it's still early!) by making some Candy Cane Foam Dough!  I just loved Learn Play Imagine's Erupting Candy Corn Foam Dough - it was such a clever idea to make a shape - so we decided to give it a go!  I didn't even use a full can of shaving cream and still managed to make a HUGE Candy Cane - S was in awe.  :)  I feel like we really maximized our Foam Dough experience this time and managed to get three different sensory experiences from one batch!

First up I made two containers of Foam Dough - one white and one red.  The red color isn't totally blended for reasons I'll get to a little later.  S didn't notice.  She was just blown away by the giant candy cane spanning half our dining room table.

Just like always, Foam Dough is good for some fluffy, puffy, cloud-like goodness.

It's SO SO SO fun to smoosh the big puffs of dough.

S wasted no time gleefully demolishing the candy cane - and created a "mountain of candy cane snow" with the aftermath.

As you continue to handle and play with the Foam Dough, the shaving cream will slowly lose its puff and the dough will become crumbly and feel like some crazy hybrid of cloud dough and playdough.  At this point we grabbed some of S's plastic animals and I hid them inside candy cane snowballs for he to break open.  (PS you can roll the snowballs.  Try it.  It's fun.)

X happened to be napping when I made S her giant candy cane, so we decided to whip him up a batch of plain white "snowy" foam dough the next day with the remainder of the shaving cream.  Foam Dough can be very messy - you may want to do this activity outside or in the tub depending on your comfort level with messes.  :)  

Oh and remember, this is in no way edible - if you'd like to do this activity with a toddler, please be sure they are way past the mouthing stage and understand not to touch their eyes or taste this!

Once your kiddos are done playing with the cloud dough/playdough like stage of the Foam Dough, collect all the crumbles in a container and slowly add water (it doesn't take much) while mixing with your hands.  In just a short period of time you'll have an oobleck like substance - thus getting a third sensory experience in!  Wahoo!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Now let's get down to the business of making Foam Dough.  I add shaving cream to a container and if I am going to add any coloring (food coloring or liquid watercolors - we use liquid watercolors because they are washable) I add and stir that in.  You could also add some Peppermint Extract or Peppermint Essential Oil at this stage if you'd like.  Next add roughly (eyeballing) the same amount of cornstarch (AKA cornflour) as there is shaving cream.  I gently stir with a spoon - folding the cornstarch into the mixture.  I love our Foam Dough to be big and puffy like a cloud, so I am careful NOT to knead it or otherwise overstir it.  I know it is ready to be gently molded into whatever shape desired when I see the dough start to separate into little bits like it has in the photo below.  If it is still sticking together, I add a bit more cornstarch until it looks like it does below.  It will be a bit messy and sticky when you first play with it, but it will totally feel like you are touching a cloud!  It's my favorite part - so I encourage you to not overstir or knead and miss that initial first fun part.

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.