January 4, 2015

Colored, Died Pasta {Sensory Bin Activity}

When it comes to the cold weather, I like to stay indoors as much as possible. Now that we live further away from friends, family, and Target, Ryder and I have to get creative when our days start to get longer. When the temps reach over freezing, I will bundle us up for even 10 minutes of fresh air. Usually it's enough to go outside and get the mail or watch the big trucks and buses go by.

I have been scouring Pinterest for ideas to keep both Ryder and I entertained while we enter hibernation. I am using some ideas that I used with my 2 year olds in the daycare. One of my favorite things to do with kids is to make different sensory bins.


We don't have too much around the house that would be great in a sensory bin so I had to improvise. That's where dried pasta came into play. Sure regular colored pasta would be just as fun, but I love color! Making this colored, dried pasta is so easy that toddlers can even help make it.

What you will need:
pasta shapes
white vinegar
food coloring
Ziplock bags
wax paper
bin or basket
cups and spoons


Step 1: Separate pasta among the bags. I used 5 different colors, so that is 5 different bags. I placed the bags in a cake pan in case they leaked.

Step 2: Add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to each bag. I used 10 drops of each food color but next time I think I will use a few more. I wanted these to be very bright.

Step 3: This was Ryder's favorite part. Make sure each bag is completely sealed before handing it over to your toddler! Shake the bags until all of the pasta is coated.

Step 4: Spread out each color pasta in a single layer on wax paper. Let dry overnight. Ours dried for about 15 hours.

Step 5: Time to play! You sort them by colors, size or shape (if you did a variety of pasta), scoop, throw, and dump them. I will let you guess which is Ryder's favorite. 




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