Rice: A Fun Craft and Play Medium for Kids
The process is quite simple, I`ll be giving you the simple procedure and also a few fun ideas for using your colored rice. I make this up for my toddlers to play with and use in crafts, but it`s not my idea . . . my mother did it years ago with my baby sister to make her an indoor sandbox with far less mess than real sand!
Dying Your Rice
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.
Ateco 12-Color Food Coloring Kit
Amazon Price: $16.36 (as of 11/14/2009)
These are the food colors that I use. They are paste, so a little goes a long way and the colors are beautifully intense . . . perfect for working on crafts with your brightly hued rice.
"My Kid Ate the Rice!"
Don`t worry! If your little one decides to munch on some of that uncooked rice, it will go right through . . . trust me on that one . . . my 2 year old tested it just a few days ago!
Storing Your Colored Rice
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.
Rubbermaid 5728-24 Semi-Clear Polypropylene Round Storage Containers. Temperature range -20° F/-34° C to 212° F/100° C. NSF certified and commercial dishwasher safe. 22 quart size, case size 6.
Amazon Price: (as of 11/14/2009)
These containers are perfect for storing your colored rice and they are resistant, holding up to many falls and bumps that are bound to occur when small children are involved!
Have your child fill in letters with glue and add rice on top.
Make a Rice Box
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!
Sterilite Under The Bed Wheeled Storage Container 66 Qt.
Amazon Price: $99.99 (as of 11/14/2009)
This storage container is ideal for your rice box. When your little one is finished sifting, scooping and pouring, just sweep up any stray grains, dump them back into the box, put on the lid and slide it under the bed until next time!
Toys for Playing in Colored Rice
Bucket Sand Toy Set (7 Pcs. Set)
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/14/2009)
These toys are perfect for using with rice. The bright colors compliment the rice colors and the plastic is super easy to clean.
What Else Can I Do With Colored Rice?
Layer colors in a jar. You can make pretty decorations by simply layering colored rice in a clear glass jar and setting it on the shelf.
Use as confetti. You can add rice to a birthday card envelope or piñata for an extra bright welcome.
Make pictures. Spread glue on a picture and then sprinkle with colored rice for a neat effect.
You can use this rice in a number of craft applications, gluing it onto art, adding it to kid jewelry, etc. I`d love to hear what you come up with!
Just pouring rice back and forth is fun, too!
This Lens Supports Food for Everyone
The Food For Everyone Foundation's mission is to teach and assist families everywhere to grow successful and sustainable vegetable gardens, and really enjoy the experience.
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Lensmaster athomemomblog, aka Genesis Davies, has been a member since March 7 2007, has rated 79 lenses, favorited 8, and has created 68 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "How to Stay Awake". See all my lenses
My Bio
I`m a Canadian expat and a work at home mom of two wonderfully curious little boys, ages 2 and 3. My interests are quite varied, so you`ll find lenses on many topics here. However, there are a few topics that I`m particularly passionate about, including working at home, cooking and toddlers.
After I started working from home because my oldest was born with a birth defect and needed special care for the first year and a half of his life, I realized that there are many moms who need to work and who are struggling to find a way to help support their families while still enjoying their children. It`s a tough job market these days and one of the best ways to make sure that you can actually earn is to start your own business. My blog, At Home Mom, is dedicated to helping moms become business owners and work from home.
My main income is from freelance writing. Since I was a little girl, I`ve wanted to be a writer, but only after leaving the comfort of my homeland and ending up in Guatemala did I really make that dream a reality. These days, I earn a good living by writing web content, ebooks and articles for other people. I also do some marketing, through press releases, article marketing, and places like Squidoo.
Squidoo is a place for me to expand on my interests and share what I`ve learned with the world. That`s why you`ll find everything from lenses on article marketing and cooking with toddlers to Jensen Ackles and caffeine.
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