My son is OBSESSED with making potions. For Christmas we got him little jars with cork lids so he’d have something special to put his potions in. At his Pirate Birthday Party he insisted that pirates make potions, so we HAD to make potions at his party! Each child went home with a potion jar of their very own. It could also be used for a Minecraft or Harry Potter Party or to kill time on a sunny day. Making potions is easy, takes almost no prep or clean up and can occupy children for ages!
Supplies:
- Jars or bowls in which to make potion
- Spoons to stir potions and to scoop ingredients
- Small bowls to put small portions of powdery ingredients (i.e. sugar, baking soda)
- Potion Ingredients: The ingredients change every time, but this time I used Soy Sauce, dish soap, water, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, food colouring, sugar and baking soda. You can use pretty much anything in your pantry. I like to put small amounts of each ingredient into a separate containers (like a liquid measuring cup) so they can use all of it. I tell them that when all the ingredients are gone they aren’t getting any more. This method also keeps the real containers clean!
Spring and summer is such an awesome time for this activity because you can do it outside, then just wash off the table, and throw the dishes in the dishwasher. So easy and so fun!
Instructions:
- Give each child a container (Mason jars work really well) and a spoon.
- Divide up the ingredients in smaller containers.
- Watch as the children create awesome potions and work together to experiment. Baking soda and vinegar with food colouring is always a hit!
- Once all the ingredients were gone my children ran around the yard finding twigs, leaves, dirt, flowers, etc. to add to the potion. They also mixed all of their potions together.
Alternate Ideas:
Use only water as the liquid, but let them experiment with food colouring and add things like glitter and sequins. These potions can be kept longer without going moldy or smelling. (Although, if you have little ones make sure you put them somewhere they can’t reach them. I learned this the hard way when my daughter emptied 4 potion jars all over her carpet and clothes when she was supposedly napping. UGH!)
Even the One-Year-Old had a Blast!
One of the Absolute Best Parts of this is the
EASY CLEAN UP!
I hope you love this activity as much as we do. I’m planning on using it weekly throughout the summer. Let me know if you have any other ingredient ideas!
But First We Craft 