How to Color Rice

The best rice for coloring is one that is very white, since it will pick up the dye better, don`t do this with brown rice, since it won`t color nearly as well.

In a small bowl (metal works best if you don`t want your bowl to be stained), mix 3 Tablespoons of water and 2-5 drops of paste food coloring, depending on how strong the color should be. Stir with a metal spoon until the coloring is dissolved in the water.

Next, add 1 cup of rice and stir until the grains have all absorbed color. Let the rice sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain the water off and spread the colored rice out on newspaper (make it several layers thick to absorb any excess liquid) to dry. I usually let mine dry overnight. You can repeat as many times as you like with different colors. We often have 3-4 colors, but you can do more.

Now that you`ve got your bright colored rice, you`ll want to keep it in a safe place until you`re ready to use it. I like to make large batches and keep them on hand, just taking out half a cup or so of each color when we`re going to make a craft.

Kids WILL mix the colors, so if you want to keep them separate, make sure you only offer one color at a time. For putting out multiple colors at once, egg cartons are perfect, just spoon one color into each cup.

The colored rice should keep indefinitely. It never lasts that long around here because my toddlers end up scattering it around on the floor, but my mother kept the rice box going for well over a year.

Instead of using sand, you can give your child rice to play with. Dump about ten pounds of plain white rice into a large plastic bin and add about 3 lbs of colored rice to make it a bit more interesting.

Then, hand your little one some measuring cups and spoons and let him or her practice pouring, scooping and spooning, it`s a lot of fun!

While you can use regular kitchen utensils, if you prefer to keep those for yourself, try some sand toys. Your toddler will be able to play happily with the rice and the toys can be stored right in the same bin.