Summer Fun--Rad Rainbow Rice

School is literally  just around the corner, but I thought I'd make my boys some rainbow rice I've been seeing all over Pinterest. Not that I'm new to rice therapy bins, sensory boxes, or whatever you want to call them. I used them as a preschool teacher and with my second child as part of his autism therapy.

But I'd never bothered to color it. (So I was lazy, yeah.)
You can find more tutorials on the net but basically, I did this:

Put parchment paper or aluminum foil on cookie sheets and set the oven to 175 degrees.

Take rubbing alcohol or vinegar and put 1-2 tablespoons of it with desired amount of food coloring in a glass jar. (I used mason jars). Pour 1.5-2.5 cups of white uncooked rice in the jar. (how much you add depends on size of your jar). Shake vigorously. This is a great activity for kids, just take care with the jar....dropping the jar could be a not so fun experience.

Add more food coloring if you need. Pour the colored rice on the covered cookie sheet. Spread it around with a spoon to get a thin layer (which will dry faster.) Put the sheet of rice in the over for about 15 minutes to dry. Check it and put it back in for 5-10 minutes if need be until the rice is dry.

Once the rice is dried and cooled, I spooned some of it into smaller mason jars for safe keeping because I know I will vacuum up most of the rice soon.

Repeat this for every color you want.

My fave color:

I put the rest in a plastic tub for the boys to play with. Add in spoons, cups, siphons, animals, trucks, cars, bugs, and more for some fun sensory time! Encourage your child to fill cups, measure, level off, pour, hide animals, and more!

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~~Enjoy!