Here is a super fast and easy craft to put together with the little ones. I make these for my girls to play with in the bath tub and also outside in the sprinklers.
You can make these little bath jellies which are fragrant little gooey blobs. They are mostly soap so you get the added benefit of extra clean kids.
You can do these in fun shapes and in bright colors and it creates bubbles so you can use it as a bubble bath or as a fun alternative to regular soap.
I haven’t seen these jellies in very many places but I know Lush sells them for about $6-11. My Target has something like this for $9.99 and that is for just 2 jellies.
You can make a bunch for just a few dollars and this seriously just takes a few minutes to do. Here is the recipe:
- Water
- Plain Gelatin
- Essential Oil (optional)
- Food Coloring (optional)
- Bubble Bath or Body Wash
- Heat ¾ cup of water over medium-high heat. Bring it just to boil and remove from heat.
- Empty the contents of one package of gelatin into a bowl.
- Add the water and stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Set aside and let cool (about 10-15 min)
- Add ½ cup of bubble bath or body wash or liquid soap (use a clear variety)
- Add 5-8 drops of essential oil of your choice (I used lemon).
- Add 2-3 drops of food coloring.
- You can also add a little glitter if you like.
- Stir well and place into a mold or a jar.
- Put into the fridge for about 4 hours until nice and solid.
I bought the plain gelatin in the baking aisle at Target for $1.27. You will get 4 packets so just one box should make at least 24 of these.
You can put the jellies into any silicone trays or molds you might have, a small bowl or a jar.
If you really want to get fancy you could insert a small plastic toy inside or add glitter to your mixture.
Here is my mixture- I added about 2 drops of red food coloring and then used my measuring cup to pour it into this little mold. (I think I got this in the Dollar Spot for Valentine’s Day).
And once the gelatine sets just pop it right out.
If you want to give these as gifts, you can pop the gelatine into a jar instead of a mold.
Here is the same red color in a recycled jar with a little bow:
And one last little tip- if you try to use a mold and the shapes don’t hold well not to worry. You can always put it back in your mixing bowl, heat for about 10 seconds in the microwave and and it will be back to liquid form and you can try again.
You can scroll down here to see more fun craft ideas for the kiddos.
So do they just dissolve or what?
Ashley, yes eventually. They are the texture of Jello and the more the kids play with them, the more they bubble and then they will ultimately dissolve.
Sounds fun! Thanks for posting this!
looks like a lot of fun, I will try it. thanks
we tried this last night – easy and fun! BUT, burning question – do we need to keep them refrigerated? We had 2 left over, and I’m not sure how to store them… help!
Jen, mine have stayed solid like Jello at room temp. They can get a tiny watery if it is warm or they get sudsy so just keep them in a container. I have a little Tupperware by the tub and there are a bunch stacked in there.
We just finished making 2 batches, can’t wait to play with them! My daughter put some little plastic animals inside a couple so when they do melt it will have a surprise! We used silicone cupcake & ice cube molds and some soap molds as well. Thanks so much for the idea!!
What do you think about using a small amount of koolaid for color and scent? Ive used it for playdough recipes before but not sure how it would work in this recipe.
How much exactly is one packet of gelatin?
Was wondering about the effect of the red food coloring…it stains my hands when I use it….has anyone noticed if the tub or kids have a “hint of red” to them????
Hi Vickie- this is very diluted so it won’t turn your kids red 🙂
Does the jelly soap need to be refrigerated.
if you don’t put the bath jellies in a mold and just let it sit by itself without it being in something will it melt and also do you put it in the freezer or not
Hi Elizabeth, I do not put these in the freezer. I am not sure why you wouldn’t want them in a container of some sort? I would not recommend just placing the jelly right on the edge of the bathtub. I do think that could be messy.
Thanks for the recipe, may I ask how long can they last in a room temperature? Can they last more than a week without keeping them in refrigerator?
Hi Jolyn,
Yes depending on heat and humidity in your home 🙂 I keep these in the shower in a jar for about a week or so and have had no issues.
Hi, I made these and they turned back into liquid within an hour. Did I do something wrong or something?
Hi Makayla- shoot! You should be able to rechill them. Did you have them in a hot steamy shower or in a really warm room? That might have been the issue. Mine don’t melt in the shower but we don’t live in a super humid climate so that might be why.