'The Blended Bunch' Family Tries a 'Stepkid Swap' Before Breaking Adoption News in Exclusive Sneak Peek

Erica and Spencer Shemwell are getting creative in their efforts to blend their family of 13 before breaking news of their plans to adopt one another's children. In a PopCulture exclusive sneak peek of Tuesday's The Blended Bunch episode, Erica and Spencer split up for a "stepkid swap," taking each other's kids on a special outing designed to help them all feel like a family following the loss of her children's father and Spencer's children's mother.

"So Erica and I wanted to spend some time with each other's kids, and so we thought doing a stepkid swap would be a great way to spend some time together before we tell them about the upcoming adoption," Spencer explains as he takes Erica's seven kids into his workshop for a special project. "I work construction, so Erica's kids and I are going to the shop and we're gonna do some work today."

The day is already a hit among 12-year-old Landon, 10-year-old Emma, 9-year-old Lily, 8-year-old Sophie, 6-year-old Tanner, 5-year-old Amelia and 3-year-old Caleb, who can't contain their giggles as they get fitted for safety equipment to make their own special signs for their rooms.

"The kids looked adorable in their hats and goggles — it was so sweet," Spencer says. "Maybe a little overkill for the situation. ... I wanna make sure Erica's kids are returning home with the same 10 fingers and 10 toes that they came with."

Lily and Sophie can't contain their excitement at getting to make their very own signs not dictated by their older siblings. At the same time, Caleb proudly proclaims he's going to tell everyone at school about the special outing. Meanwhile, back at the house, Erica gets ready for a slime adventure with Spencer's four kids — 12-year-old Braydon, 8-year-old Harper, 6-year-old Avery and 4-year-old Bexley.

"It's really important that I spend some time with just Spencer's kids because we're trying so hard to blend the family, and I really want Spencer's kids to feel like they can come to me as a mother figure — that I'm there for them and I kind of have their back," Erica explains. Despite her concern about getting glitter everywhere, the slime is a hit, as Bexley bugs big sister Harper by comparing his to boogers.

"It felt good to like, squish it, because I've never squished slime before and so it's kind of like hard to explain," Harper adds, undaunted by her little brother. Avery's interest in the glitter does get the best of him at one point, as the little boy gets it in his mouth and all over his face on accident, rushing to the bathroom to wash it off, but Erica manages to keep things under control, at least for now. Don't miss the rest of The Blended Bunch, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.