Flowers Jelly Soap Recipe - A Sensory Science Lesson in Polymers (2024)

It’s summer and I am loving using the gorgeous flowers all around us as inspiration for some beautiful projects. About a year ago we made our very first Soap Jelly recipe and it was such a hit. The kids love the wriggling, jiggy, squishy fun of the soaps. So after having so much fun with our Sunflower Playdough and Flower Oobleck, we decided to make Flower Jelly Soap. The perfect wriggly, jiggy summer soap project!

Flower Soap Jellies Easy Recipe

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If you have spent any time around STEAM Powered Family you know we love a good sensory experience, especially ones that appeal to our older kids. Last summer we stumbled upon this idea of Soap Jellies. It was a huge hit!

The kids loved how it was wriggly and wobbly. Very different from our usual hard soaps. Plus so much more fun!

What is a Jelly SOAP?

You might be wondering what the heck are Soap Jellies? Soap jellies are soap that has a slightly rubbery, squishy texture and consistency. Think of them like a soapy gummy. You can squish them, wriggle them and jiggle them.

Making Soap Jellies is also a wonderful addition to all the other fun bath bombs, soaps and even bath time play dough we have made before. But think of it as a cross with our other fun activity, making homemade gummies!

Note: Please ensure you only give these soaps to kids old enough to know they are soap and not a gummy candy. That would be a nasty shock!

The Science Behind Soap Jellies

Making these DIY Soap Jelly Bars is so easy and lots of fun. It is a great project for kids and teens, and with our flower, natural twist, it would be a great summer project. You can also use it as a lesson teaching about polymers.

The gelatin we use in this recipe creates polymer chains which give it the jelly structure and texture.

So what is a polymer? A polymer is a compound formed of many molecules strung into long chains. Each of these molecules is called a Monomer (mono means one). Sometimes those molecules link and string together into chains, when they do this they become Polymers (poly means many).

Tip! Both Mono and Poly come from Greek roots. My oldest is fascinated with the origin of words, so this was a fun bonus lesson.

In our soap jelly recipe, we need hot water to help those polymer chains form from the gelatin.

Polymers have different properties and characteristics depending on the type of molecules and how they link together. They can be soft, hard, stretchy, clear or opaque. Polymers are a critical building block throughout our world. You may remember us exploring polymers in other activities like when we made Milk Plastic, or Clear Gelatin Plastic, or when we made Slime. Those are all polymers too!

FLOWER SOAP JELLIES RECIPE AND SUPPLIES

2 rounded tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 cup clear body wash or hand soap
2 teaspoons vegetable glycerin
10-20 drops lemon essential oil of your choice
10-20 drops grapefruit essential oil of your choice
1-2 drops of yellow and pink soap colorant
Oval silicone mold
Spray bottle with rubbing alcohol
Fresh flowers and leaves (you can find little flowers in your garden or use fresh herbs)*
2 small mixing bowls
Whisk

*We used little flowers we wild harvested from our garden in our Soap Jellies, but another alternative would be to use fresh diced herbs. It would give a very earthy, amazing smelling soap. Definitely one that would really appeal to adults.

CheCK OUR OUR JELLY SOAP MAKING VIDEO

STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING WILD HARVEST SOAP JELLIES

Add 1 tablespoon of the unfavored gelatin to each of the small bowls.

Add 3/4 hot water into each bowl and whisk until gelatin is dissolved.

Gently whisk in 1/2 cup body wash or soap and 1 teaspoon of glycerin to each bowl.

Mix in the yellow colorant and lemon essential oil to one bowl and pink colorant and grapefruit essential oil to the other. You can use any color, just be sure it is light and you don’t use more than 2 drops. If the color is too dark, you cannot see your beautiful flowers!

Spray the mold with the rubbing alcohol. Cover 3 cavities of the mold with the yellow mixture and 3 cavities with the pink. You just want the bottom to be covered but not much more. Add some of the flowers to each cavity of the mold. Spray with alcohol and place in fridge for about 45 minutes, or until very firm.

Spray each cavity with rubbing alcohol. Add some leaves and gently pour more soap on the top (you can use the same colour or switch colours for a layered look). Spray with the alcohol. You may want to arrange the leaves as they will move a bit when you pour in the soap. Place back in fridge for at least 2 hours or until very firm.

Remove from mold and place in an airtight container until ready to use. If it is warm, you may find it best to store these in your fridge until you are ready to use them.

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