Soap carving is an easy & fun handicraft for kids age 4(ish) and up. This activity is great for boys or girls. Added bonus? Bars of Ivory soap are very cheap and clean up is a breeze. It is soap, after all.
Plastic carving tools are best for younger children, but older kids should be able to use a traditional set of wood carving tools. Soap carving is a great introduction to wood carving, which is more difficult and can be more dangerous for little ones.
What you need:
- Bars of Ivory Soap (any soap will do, but Ivory is the most common)
- Plastic or traditional carving tools
- A pattern or your imagination
I found this blog with patterns you can print out and trace onto your bar of soap before beginning. There are two pages and eight designs. Great for a beginning carver!
An older student (or adult) who is looking for more detailed information will find it on this website. I was amazed by the detailed carvings on his site. There are clear instructions and tips, and a pattern for a dog as well.
I really like this beginner video for children. My only complaint is that the video camera was positioned a little too far away from the subject. Still, there is good info!
So, what are you waiting for? Get those kids busy carving. 😉
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Neat! I used to carve soap when I was younger…just whittled it away… I could never settle on what I was making though 😉
You could catch the shavings make some homemade laundry soap too 😉 Uh, it might take a while to get a bars worth of shavings but it could happen!
Nice links! Thanks. This is a craft we’ve not done in quite some time. I appreciate the reminder.
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