Montessori Monday: Wet Felting Fun!

Well, for today's Montessori Monday post, the boys and I did some wet felting over the weekend.

Colorful wool roving

Plastic party favor bracelets

Warm, soapy water in microwavable Pyrex container

Small soaps from one of the places we stayed while on vacation...

We already had some wool roving in lovely colors from a Montessori style work extension with Color Box 3 where Little Bro has to match the wool colors to the color tablets in the color tablets box...
Plus, we had some leftover party favor bracelets as well as several little soaps from our recent trips here and there...so we were all set to go.

First, I heated up water in a glass Pyrex container so that the water was pretty warm but not too hot...
Then, Big Bro poured baby shampoo into the warm water and mixed it around a bit. The boys and I then chose our initial colors for wrapping our items.
We loosely wrapped the wool around both the bracelets and the soaps.
Then, we dipped the wool wrapped items into the warm, soapy water and begun to twist and twist.
We used paper towels to remove the excess soap bubbles and water from the items. The paper towels acted like the bubble wrap that some folks use when doing wet felting, as we did not have any spare bubble wrap...
Little Bro was not too sure if he liked the feeling of being so soapy whereas Big Bro seemed to enjoy it.
After twisting, pulling, and rubbing  for several minutes and then, wiping off the extra soapy suds, we then we set the items on paper towels to dry.
Our plan is to totally let the bracelets dry before rinsing them off one more time...we will then dry them for a second time.  Hopefully, the soaps will be good to go.
All in all, it was a very fun hand work project.
Wet felting on soap or bracelets are both projects that I felt inspired to do after reading about them on other mom blogs.
A while ago, I had seen both the wet felted soap and bracelets on other mommy blogs, namely, the wet felted soap was on  One Hook Wonder but as for the wet felted bracelet, well originally, I was at a loss, as I could not find the neat post...
Update: The lovely blog post was actually on Olives and Pickles.
Here is a link to her cool post with the flower shaped bracelets...her wet felted bracelet post I had originally seen and had been inspired by used plastic bracelets that looked like a flower shape.

Well, to One Hook Wonder and to Olive and Pickles, the original mystery wet felted flower shaped bracelet blogger, thank you both...I love both of your blogs and get so many neat ideas from you!!!

Had seen your lovely posts a while back and just waited until we had the chance to make these (plus ample supplies of small soaps)...

Here are some shots of us doing this work and the items in various stages:

Small soap wrapped in red and white wool roving soaking for a couple of seconds in the soapy water

Big Bro squeezing, twisting, and pulling on the wet wool to help it to felt...

Big Bro chose to do this step over the sink, as it was very sudsy (but fun!)

Little  Bro working but not too sure if he liked the suds or the wet felted wool...

Big Bro having fun making felted soap...

Big Bro has added a few more colors and is starting the wet felting process...

Voila!

Beginning to look like felted bracelets...taking a break before we twist a while longer....

Our bracelets and soaps...such fun!

Big Bro enjoyed doing the wet felted bracelets and soaps so much that tomorrow, he plans to try to wet felt a small, plastic Slinky.

We will see how that goes, as I have never seen or heard of a wet felted Slinky before...should be interesting...hey, he might start a whole new craze of wet felting!!!

Also, normally link up with other Montessori Monday posts hosted by Nicole at One Hook Wonder and Jody at  Mommy Moment but since I am doing this post on Sunday, they do not as of yet have their links up for tomorrow...

We have a busy day tomorrow so I am doing this a bit early this week.

Be sure to pop by their lovely blogs though...and hope that you have a happy Sunday and Monday!

Update: Here is a link to Jessie's post over at Mommy Moment:
5 Ways to Aid Concentration in Children | Mommy Moment: My favorite thought that I took away from her well written, informative post was this little nugget: As adults, "Do not interrupt the focusing child unless you observe disrespect, danger, or destruction"...so true.

Also, there is still time to enter my little gift to my public blog followers and subscribers , my  Whole Lotta Love Giveaways, so if you have not done so, please do!