
A Simple Sensory Activity
Rainbow rice is a simple sensory activity that has kept our children entertained for many hours on end. There must be something about the colors and the texture that they just love. We find ways to enjoy it by itself, just picking up the rice and letting it flow through our hands or transferring it from one container to another. Other times, we incorporate hide and seek, shapes, or transferring devices. For example, one of their favorite activities is to find small pom-poms within the rice. Another activity we do is use spoons, bowls, and grabbers to move the rice about. While sometimes this activity can create some clean up, we have pretty strict rules that the rice stays within the bins and does not get thrown. Obviously there can be accidents but intentional throwing or removal of rice from the table causes an end to the rainbow rice for the day. Keep reading to find out how to make your own rainbow rice, including supplies and recipe. Our children truly may like making it just as much as playing with it.
Supplies
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- Long grain white rice (uncooked)
- Distilled white vinegar
- Food coloring
- Ziplock bags or reusable bags
- Storage container
- Baking sheet
- Sensory table
Recipe
- Place 1 cup of white rice into each bag.
- Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to the bag.
- Place 10-15 drops of food coloring into each bag.
- Adjust the amount based on preference for each color.
- Seal the bags.
- Shake, squish, and mix the bags until evenly distributed.
- This is my children’s favorite part, they shake and squish the bags to their heart’s content.
- Once fully distributed, place on a cookie sheet to dry.
- We utilize a paper towel to line the baking sheet to expedite dry times.
- Usually dry to touch within 4 hours.
- We tend to let it dry overnight.
- Enjoy and store in an airtight container for next time!
[…] (this is what we use as it fits perfectly into our sensory […]