How to make Elephant Toothpaste

We love making elephant toothpaste! My two loved watching the "toothpaste" ooze out of our water bottle. The reaction produces heat, so it's normal for the foam to feel warm. My two couldn't wait to touch the foam and play with our toy elephants. He insisted on doing more and more colors, until we ran out of ingredients. Here's what you need:

• 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup Salon Care Clear Developer - 20 volume (I bought ours for around $5 at a local beauty supply store. I always handled this, as it contains hydrogen peroxide).
• Dawn Dish Soap (do NOT use anti-bacterial)
• Funnel
• 15 oz. plastic water bottle, emptied
• Optional: food coloring, cookie sheet, toy elephants and scrubbers

Here's what to do:

1. In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of yeast and 2 tablespoons of warm water together. Mix well and set aside.
2. In your water bottle, add 1/2 cup of the Salon Care Developer (I used a funnel for this part), any food coloring, and a few squirts of Dawn Dish Soap. Swirl it together very carefully.
3. Place your bottle on a cookie sheet (I placed ours on a piece of rolled tape) and add the yeast mixture into the bottle. Immediately watch the elephant toothpaste ooze out!
4. Let your child touch and play with the foam. Bring out toy elephants and a scrubber to "brush" the elephant's teeth!
5. Repeat for new colors.

This year, we tried this experiment again with my three. It was a highlight of our week.

Credit: Thank you to Fun at Home with Kids for giving us this great idea!