We had so much fun with our Googly Eye Soup back at Halloween that we just had to go for Valentine's Day soup!  I want to once again thank Teach Preschool for inspiring our soup play.  :)  It's such great sensory fun with some fine motor play mixed in.  We love it!

I wish I had a video to share with you because X was SO excited for this soup.  His sister usually distracts him in their room while I set up and then I call them out once everything is ready and I've got my camera ready.  On this day, X caught sight of the soup, squealed, and literally dove in.  Ha!  We fished him out and reminded him that soups were not for sitting.  He compromised by putting as much of the upper half of his body IN the soup as he could.

X really enjoyed scooping and pouring the water.  He wasn't always accurate.  That's OK.  If you're curious about our tricks and tips for Managing Messy Play, you can find them here.  :)

And practicing with the big soup ladle!

S enjoyed whisking the hearts and making swirly waves in the pink water.

A good shot of the tools provided - I love that X is trying to be IN the soup as much as he can without actually climbing in.  Hahaha.

A rare action shot!  Lots of exuberant toddler dumping.  :)

Two kiddos hard at work.  ;)

He was SO happy.  This kid loves water play.

When they were finally finished, sis helped me fish out all of the hearts for some great fine motor practice.  I dried them on a paper towel and they are ready for another play!

X is finally mastering the art of whisking - but it takes a lot of concentration!!!  :)

To make your own Valentine's Day soup, you'll need:

Water

Food Coloring or Liquid Watercolors

Kitchen Utensils

Floating Hearts

Please note that the floating hearts pictured can pose a choking risk - if your child is still mouthing things, either omit the floating hearts altogether or choose another floating item that is large enough to not pose a risk (baby bath toys are generally a good substitute).

To color your water add a few drops of food coloring or liquid watercolors until you are happy with the shade.  If you'd like pink water like we have here, we'd recommend using Magenta Liquid Watercolor (like we did) or the pink from a set of Neon Food Coloring.  It doesn't take much of either to make a vibrantly colored water.  Even with food coloring, when diluted so much, we've never had any issues with staining.  Please note if your child is likely to drink the water - food coloring is edible while liquid watercolors are not.  For the floating hearts, we recommend foam cutouts.  Foam is waterproof - so it can be used again and again - but additionally it will stick to the sides of your play container (or your bathtub walls!) when wet so it adds another dimension of fun to the activity.  We got our glittery hearts from the Dollar Tree - they are called Valentine's Table Scatter if you're looking for them there.

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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.