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There are some things that we tell our children repeatedly making us feel less like parents and more like broken records. One of those things is to wash wash their hands before meals and snacks. Every time I ask them to wash up I get the same eye roll from all three of them and they drag their feet into the bathroom, run their hands under the water once, put a drop of soap on their hands, and then swipe them under the water once more. Ugh... that pretty ineffective.

My goal was to find a way to get my kids more excited about washing their hands because cleanliness and germs didn't seem get them motivated... but hiding a toy inside the soap did!

It doesn't have to be a great toy... I found that it was more for the fun of finding it. Remember the old Cracker Jack boxes or cereal boxes with toys inside? The toys were never great BUT you had to find them. I'd eat a whole box of yucky cereal just to get that cheapo toy! Well, guess what? Kids will wash their hands to free up that lego or marble in the middle of a soap bar. Try it!

What you need:

• A mini muffin pan or similar size molds from craft or kitchen stores
• A bar of Neurtogena soap or any other Glycerin based soap bar
• Aluminum foil
• Small toys - marble, lego, tiny cars, etc. - anything you can find laying around
• Optional: Vitamin A, aloe, essential oils, dried lavender

Line the spaces of the muffin tin individually with aluminum foil. Heat up the soap bar in the microwave until completely melted (you can add in Vitamin E, aloe or essential oils and mix well, if desired). Pour soap into empty mini muffins only about 1/3 full. Wait about 5 minutes until it hardens enough to hold the toy in place, suspended in the soap. Put a small toy on top of hardened soap. Reheat the remaining soap to liquid and pour over each toy until full and the toy is covered. Place the muffin tray in the refrigerator until the soap is completely hardened and then pop them out and store at room temperature. You can smooth out any lines from the foil by running the soap under hot water and allowing to air dry.