Read on to see how you can make your own play rice in every color of the rainbow!
How to Dye Rice for Kids
Materials- Uncooked, white rice
- Food coloring
- Zip-seal bags
- Water
Method
- Begin by pouring 1 cup of uncooked, white rice into a large zip-seal bag, using one bag for each color of rice that you wish to make.
- Add several drops of food coloring to each bag along with 2 tablespoons of water.
- The water just helps to saturate the rice grains in color, allowing you to use less dye.
- Seal the bag(s), and then have kids mix and shake them until all of the rice grains are fully saturated.
- Once happy with the color of your rice open the bags and leave the rice to dry.
- There is no need to transfer the rice, as it will dry just fine right there inside of the bag(s).
- Drying will take roughly 4-6 hours.
- Once dry seal the bags again, and then give them to kids to break the rice up, as it does have a tendency to stick together while drying.
- Then, pour the colored rice varieties into a large bin or sensory container, and play can begin!
We poured our rice into a large bin in rainbow order, but it wasn't long before it became a beautifully mixed orchestra of color!
Extend the Fun
- Add kitchen gadgets, scoopers, and toys to your rice play bin.
- Use rainbow rice to make beautiful works of art.
- Hide coins in a bin of rainbow rice and have kids hunt for treasure!
- Hide varying colors of paper clips in the rice, and then have kids find and sort them.
- Use neon paint in place of food coloring in this recipe to make glow-in-the-dark rainbow rice.
Why Rice?
You may be wondering why we would make and play with rice as opposed to traditional play sand or even play dough. We do play with those things, but colored rice is our absolute favorite sensory material for indoor use.
Why? Because it does not mush into carpet and it is easy to vacuum up, unlike sand and other sensory materials which make an absolute mess.
Colored rice is also incredibly easy to make and costs mere pennies, making it a great alternative to more expensive, store-bought materials.
Storage:
- Store your rainbow rice varieties in sealed jars or bags, and it can be used again & again!
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