Getting my kids to keep their hands clean isn’t the easiest task. Because of my son’s sensory needs, I feel like I am constantly saying, take your fingers out of your mouth, don’t touch that, and go wash your hands. So last summer, during a week-long battle to get my oldest to stay clean and healthy, I came up with a brilliant plan if I might say so myself. I used his obsessive love for Lego to make something he would want to you. I made this super simple DIY Lego Natural Hand Sanitizer and wouldn’t you know it, he started to wash his hands.
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I know what you might be thinking… “so you are telling me that adding a little Lego guy to your soap made your guy wash his hands more?” The simple answer to that is… No. However, the long answer is that in a way it really did make the difference in the number of times he went to the sink or the bathroom to “wash” his hands.
You see, for a kid who always has something in his mouth, he is prone to get germy pretty quickly. After I made the Lego natural hand sanitizer, I heard a lot less moans and even a few “Oh Cool”s.
How to Make DIY Lego Natural Hand Sanitizer
What you need
- 5-10 drops lavender essential oil (where to buy 100% pure lavender EO)
- 30 drops tea tree essential oil (find 100% pure tea tree EO here)
- 1 Tablespoon witch hazel extract
or high-proof vodka
- 8 ounces 100% pure aloe vera gel
- ¼ teaspoon Vitamin E oil
– a natural preservative to increase shelf life and soften the hands from multiple washes and uses
- Mason Jars
- Soap Dispenser Adaptor for Mason Jar
The process for making the hand sanitizer is actually super simple (isn’t this how we always roll). Basically, all you need to do is mix all of the ingredients in a bowl together. Really, it’s that easy.
Now, we are huge fans of mason jars and jelly jars in our house, so it seemed only fitting to add our hand sanitizer to a small mason jar and fit it with this super cool Soap Dispenser Adaptor for Mason Jar.
Finally, add in your Lego bricks and Mini-figures
. I will be the first to tell you that your mini-figure is not always going to stand upright like this. However, that is half the fun. Your kids will love shaking the jar and watching your Lego dance about. It is very similar to the way the Lego guy moves around in our Lego Calm Down Jar.
Now, let me go ahead and clear the air. You see, I get comments all the time about how putting a mini-figure in a craft or in a soap like this would infuriate their child. By all means, do not make your child mad. However, I want to stretch your thinking and your child’s. For our child, who can have his set ways and mindset, we buy a special Lego guy that is used JUST for the project. He knows before we buy him, he knows what it is for and I have complete buy-in from him.
This is really important. Please… I repeat, PLEASE do not go taking your child’s favorite Lego guy while your child is busy and then expect them to be happy. This is not end well for anyone and then you will end up hating me. I don’t want that!
Now, for the exciting announcement. Well, I am so excited to announce that my new book, The Unofficial Guide to Learning with LEGO® – 100+ Inspiring Ideas, is almost ready! In fact, it went off to the printer just yesterday! This is a book I have co-authored with several of my other friends who love and adore Lego Learning Ideas. The book is full of inspiring Lego learning ideas that are perfect for any age child! We have even started a new Facebook group devoted to learning with Lego and we would love to have you join us!
If you sign up to get up date information about the release of the book, we are giving you a FREE printable chart of 25 FREE LEGO CHALLENGES!!! How cool is that?
If you want to be the first to know when the book is available and you want some of the fun bonus offers just for you, be sure to fill out this survey form and be on the lookout for a Bonus printable very soon!
As I mentioned before, this is part of a week long celebration of all things LEGO over at Toddler Approved. She and a group of us bloggers will be sharing LEGO ideas on our blogs and Facebook Pages all week long!
I will be sharing, pinning and collecting all the great posts from the week. You can follow along by following my LEGO LEARNING board on Pinterest.
Do you have a favorite LEGO activity? What are your favorite simple summer fun ideas? I would love to hear! Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email. I can’t wait to hear your ideas.