Spider-Man Bath Bombs – STEAM Project For Super Kids

My boys love a good bath bomb and this one turned out even better than we could have imagined! This Spider-man Bath Bomb recipe is a fantastic project to make with your kids. Not only will they love that it incorporates their favourite superhero, but they will also learn some amazing chemistry and this particular bath bomb is a fantastic little art project too. A fantastic easy bath bomb project my boys loved!

SPIDERMAN BATH BOMBS STEAM PROJECT

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I love it when my kids get excited about learning and this STEAM project was a fantastic way to get them motivated.

Honouring STAN Lee Creator of Spider-Man

We love Stan Lee around here. He was such a powerful force in our world, creating these characters and worlds that resonate with people from all walks of life. I’m sad that he passed while my kids were still fairly young, but I am so glad that they will continue to benefit from his innovative creations and astounding imagination. Right now my oldest is loving reading the Zodiac Series by Stan Lee, while my youngest loves watching his Spider-man movies and reading the comics.

It is no surprise these bath bombs were a huge hit with my boys!

EASY BATH BOMBS FOR KIDS

I love it when we perfect a project that empowers my kids to embrace their imagination and get really creative with a project. This bath bomb recipe is perfect for unleashing their inner curiosity and passion for discovery.

Similar to our easy Christmas Bath Bomb recipe, this recipe is just as easy and includes a fun decorating piece at the end so kids can really embrace their innovation and create something special for themselves or to gift to someone they care about.

All you need is the right silicone mold and a few simple ingredients.

Spider-man Bath Bomb Recipe

2 cups baking soda
1 cup citric acid
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup dead sea salts
1/3 cup coconut oil plus a little extra for decorating
1 tablespoon polysorbate 80
1 teaspoon of Candy Apple scented oil or your favourite essential oil
Red soap coloring
Red & Black cosmetic glitter (biodegradable)
Black mica powder
Spiderman silicone mold
Microwave safe measuring cups
Large mixing bowl
Spoon
Disposable gloves (optional)
Rubbing alcohol (optional)

 

How to Make a SpiderMan Bath Bomb For Kids

In the large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients. Just like cookies you mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet ingredients. This includes the baking soda, citric acid, dead sea salts and cornstarch. Stir together well but use caution. The citric acid can become a bit of an irritant if it becomes airborne while enthusiastic helpers are stirring. Always make bath bombs in a well ventilated area.

In the microwave safe container add the coconut oil and heat in 30 second intervals in the microwave until it just becomes liquid. Stir between each interval. Do not let it boil!

Add polysorbate 80 and the fragrance or essential oils of your choice to the coconut oil. Stir.

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Mix well. Use your hands to break down any clumps and really work everything together. Once it is the consistency of wet sand and will hold a shape when you squish it, it is ready.

Add a couple of drops of red soap colorant. Watch closely when you do this… notice the reaction starting! Check out the science below to see what is happening!

This is where I like to put on gloves so I don’t colour my hands too badly. Use your hands to really mix the colourant through the entire mixture. If you wish to have a darker red, simply add another drop and work it through until you achieve the desired result. If you wish to include glitter, now is the time to add it and mix it in.

Now it’s time to pack your Spider-man molds! Using your fingers fill the molds and pack it firmly. Ensure it is filled to the top.

Set in a warm, dry place for 48 hours to set and harden. If you live in a very dry, warm climate it might be ready after 24 hours.

Once it is set, carefully pop it out of the mold. Often I like to leave them for another day to really harden up at this point, but it will really depend on your local climate.

Decorating Your Spider-man Bath Bombs

Now is the fun part, art time!

To decorate your Spider-man bath bomb and make it extra special you have a couple of options.

First you can use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle to spritz the bath bomb, then brush or spray on mica powder in red or black to decorate. You can also use this technique to add more glitter.

The second technique, and the one my kids prefer (they really don’t like the smell of rubbing alcohol!), is to melt some coconut oil in a small bowl. In other bowls set out the mica powders and glitters you wish to use to decorate. Have one paintbrush for each bowl. Then simply paint your bath bomb where you want to decorate it with a bit of coconut oil. Then brush on mica powder or glitter as desired on top of the coconut oil. Let dry.

Voila! Super cool Spider-man bath bombs for super cool kids!

Store your bath bombs in an airtight container until you are ready to use them.

USING YOUR SUPERHERO BATH BOMBS

To use your super bath bombs, simply fill the tub with nice warm water and drop in a bath bomb to trigger the reaction and start your bath fizzy swirling about like a superhero.

BATH BOMB CHEMISTRY LESSON FOR KIDS

This is the reason we love making bath bombs, the eruptions!!

The chemistry behind the fizz and bubbles is completely fascinating for any age. Bath bomb making is a great way to get hands on with chemistry and learn some real life applications. And when we can make our lessons apply to real life, our kids suddenly find things much more interesting and they become much more motivated learners.

BATH BOMBS AS A STEAM PROJECT

As you can see from this STEAM bath bomb project the creativity and imagination it fosters is also fantastic. There are so many cool bath bomb designs you can make, you simply need the right mold. Plus you can decorate them to make them mini pieces of art.

Add in the need for being exact with your measurements and ratios, and you have some great math thrown in. All of this on top of fascinating chemistry? It’s no wonder bath bomb making is a fantastic STEAM project for your teens and even tweens.

Bath Bomb Fizz Science

So what is the science behind our Spider-man bath bomb eruptions? Bath bombs are an acid-base reaction. The dry acid ingredient is citric acid. The dry base ingredient is baking soda. You can mix the dry ingredients and they will not react. For the chemical reaction to be triggered we need to add water.

Pro Tip! You can test this yourself. Simply take a tablespoon of baking soda and citric acid in a cup. Mix, then add a bit of warm/hot water and watch the magic happen! Why do we need warm or hot water? We found the answer in our Bath Bomb Science Fair Project.

Another cool ingredient in this recipe is polysorbate 80. It plays a vital role in bath bomb recipes as the emulsifier. Bath bomb recipes include oils (like coconut oil and the fragrance/essential oils) which would not normally mix well with water. This means without polysorbate 80 you would end up with a slimy mess on top of your water and sticking to the sides of the tub and yourself. It’s not pretty and leaves you with a big nasty mess to clean up after bath time. Polysorbate 80 makes the water and oils mix creating a colourful, fragrant, wonderful bathing experience. And one that is easy to clean up after bath time. I recommend never making bath bombs without polysorbate 80. The mess is simply not worth it.

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