Valentine's Day Gelatin Slime Sensory Play

I am so excited to kick off Show Me the Love: Valentines Crafts & Activities for Kids, a weeklong Valentine's Day series with my two blog buddies And Next Comes L and Still Playing School. All week, we will be bringing you 3 crafts/activities a day, sure to get you and your little ones in the Valentine's Day spirit! 

Our first activity is a MESSY one. Initially, I had planned on a simple Valentine's day gelatin sensory play. Kingston loves gelatin as a sensory medium, and had a great time with it over the summer when we did our Ocean Jell-O Play. I was really excited to try it this time. Well... I am clearly no gelatin expert (yes, I am aware that it is one of the simplest things to make!) and when I pulled it out of the fridge and offered it to Kingston, I had no clue that it had not actually SET yet. That is, until he started playing with it!

Boy was I surprised when our "gelatin play" turned into "gelatin SLIME play"! Kingston thought the half set gelatin was even more fun. He couldn't get enough of it. He mixed, splashed, squished, and splattered! 

I included some heart shaped cookie cutters in the mix thinking he could use them to cut gelatin shapes, but instead he used them to splatter the slime all over the place, mix, and dig. 

As things got messier and stickier, we chatted about hearts and the color red. It was around this time that he realized that by really smashing the cookie cutter into the gelatin, he could make an erupting, lava-like explosion. So, of course, my little mess maker decided that THIS was the most fun ever! 

My kitchen quickly began to resemble a bloody massacre! 

By now, Kingston was trying to desperately scoop up all of the "slime" without much success, so I gave him a spoon and bowl. He scooped and stirred his gelatin concoctions for quite a while.

This was by far our messiest sensory play! Especially because I didn't use a splat mat. But, K had SO much fun, and what could have been an epic "mommy fail" turned into an entirely new and exciting sensory play activity! 

It was around this time that Daddy came home from work. Messy boy took off, leaving red gelatin footprints in his wake. His little red, dyed legs were quite a sight as he pounced on suit-clad Dada! As for my kitchen, it cleaned up without any problem. And as for messy Kingston, well, he continued his Valentine's fun in the bathtub! 

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Day fun from my co-hosts today!

And Next Comes L - Buttons & Hearts Valentine's Day Invitation

Still Playing School - Stamping Hearts with Recycled Coffee Cup Sleeves

And stay tuned throughout the rest of the week for more Valentine's Day fun!