Dry rice makes a great medium for kids to play with. You can make a mini sandbox filled with rice that they can play in with trucks or action figures. White rice isn't very exciting though. It is very easy to dye rice whatever colors you want using food coloring.
Approximate Time:
Supplies:
12 cups of rice
6 Ziploc bags
hand sanitizer
food coloring
glass pan or large garbage bag
Instructions:
Place 2 cups of rice into each bag.
Add 5 pumps of hand sanitizer and 2-3 drops of food coloring.
Zip the bag shut and shake the bag to coat the rice. Add additional food coloring to achieve the desired color. Repeat with each bag.
Once you have finished coloring all of the bags, pour them into a large glass casserole pan or spread them out onto a large garbage bag. Allow the rice to completely dry, preferably overnight.
A great "sandbox" for kids to use indoors is to fill a large plastic container with a bag of plain rice (I use a dishpan). Give them some measuring cups and funnels and they will play for hours! It's inexpensive and spilled rice can be vacuumed easily. Just watch that very small children don't try to eat the rice.
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By Pricklypear
05/28/2012
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Making Rainbow Play Rice