10 Ways to Use Shaving Cream in the Classroom

"Are we going to be using shaving cream today?"

This was a question my students asked almost daily. Shaving cream is one of the most fun teaching tools I have discovered. My students get so excited when they see me getting it out.

There are multiple uses for this relatively inexpensive magical foam. To get started all you need to do is go to your local grocery store or pharmacy and pick up a bottle of shaving cream. Make sure that you purchase a foam cream rather than gel. The foam tends to be less sticky. Below I have listed ten examples of how I have used shaving cream in my classroom.

1. Brain Breaks
Spray a small amount on students desks and let them draw or write in it.

2. Behavior Rewards
For my students on a Reflective Behavior Plan (free in my TPT store) one of the rewards that they could earn for meeting their goal was a break to play with shaving cream.

3. Calm Down
Last year I had a couple students who struggled to calm down coming back inside from recess. I would set a timer and give them a calm down break where they played with shaving cream.

4. Cleaning Desks
Shaving cream is fun method for cleaning desks. It gets students up and moving while serving a purpose.

5. Classroom Celebrations
It is fun to break out the shaving cream during celebrations or even after celebrations to clean the tables. You could even have a shaving cream fight during field day or as an end of the school year activity.

6. Spelling Practice
Have students use shaving cream rather than whiteboards to practice spelling words.

7. Quick Checks
Use shaving cream like a whiteboard for students to answer questions. Use the questions as quick checks to gauge student understanding.

8. Sight Word Practice
Have students practice writing sight words in shaving cream.

9. Vocabulary Practice
Give students a definition and have them write the vocabulary word in shaving cream.

10. During Math or Literacy Warm Up
Have students warm up before math or literacy by practicing previous concepts or key fundamentals using shaving cream. In my classroom at the start of guided reading I would have my low reading group write the letters and blends from their ABC chart in shaving cream while saying the sounds. This was a fun warm up that helped students practice their reading fundamentals.

What ways have you used shaving cream in your classroom? Let me know in the comments below.

-Carly

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