DIY Rainbow Rice!

It has been forever and a day since I last posted! There has been some (welcome) changes in my life; however, for awhile there I got out of my routine of blogging, but I hope to get rolling again! I do enjoy it, and it keeps me on top of my game with my son.
The latest fun project we did was dyeing a big batch of rice in every color of the rainbow. 

I mixed up 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Discount School Supply Liquid Watercolors with a splash of rubbing alcohol first and then poured the mixture into 6-8 cups of white rice. I mixed it up with a spoon until the color was absorbed consistently.  I then spread out the rice on various baking pans (a cookie sheet, a casserole dish, etc.). I ended up with 7 batches of different colored rice so I had a lot to spread out! I fit the rice best I could in a preheated oven (170 degrees). Once in awhile I stirred it. After about 20 minutes I turned the oven off, and just let the rice sit continuing to dry. Once the rice was completely dry, I put it all in a Sterilite plastic bin and then let my son have at it! The bin proved perfect for sensory exploration, as the sides were high enough that not much rice escaped (it was 35 quart size, 24.5"x17.75"x7.125")! In addition, it still had the lid intact (making it perfect for easy storage). You can find a bin this size for $9-10 at your local home improvement store.

I was thrilled to see that my son played in the rice for a long time! We added little toys from his room that he buried and then made explode out of the rice (via use of his imagination and his hands). Also I put in plastic measuring cups, a funnel and a spoon which he used for pouring. Pouring (rotating of the wrist) is an excellent practice for developing fine motor skills and I emphasize this as well with the preschool kids I work with.

My son found old glow sticks that he stuck in the rice and used them for an obstacle course that the toys had to weave around. He was deep in imagination.

I was so happy to see my son engaged so deeply in this sensory tub for so long! It is SO WELL WORTH it to create sensory tubs such as this for your child or students to explore in. In my experience, THEY entertain themselves for LONG stretches of time — such a better use of their time than video games or TV in my opinion! I hope you try it out — you won't be disappointed!
This post is part of a Rainbow themed linky party...go check it out here:

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Colorful window art on contact paper

This activity was inspired in part by Teach Preschool's post here and my determination to do something with the leftover plastic report covers from my post on Shamrock Color Viewers.

This activity was a BLAST! It was VERY ENGAGING and FUN! (I happen to know,  because after watching my son be in complete bliss partaking in it, I just had to jump in on the action!) Believe me and Beware! It is a little addicting!). I think this activity is suitable from toddler-age kids all the way up to 10 years, or even older! It was lovely to see the daylight shine through from behind and enhance the color.

The best part (that is, for the parent or teacher, who doesn't participate. LOL!) is that it was super easy to set up AND there was hardly any clean up!

Materials needed:

• Colored transparent plastic sheets in different colors (I used plastic report covers that I found at the college bookstore in town)
• Clear contact paper
• Packing tape
• black electrical tape (optional)
• scissors

Preparation: Adult tapes sheet of contact paper onto window, and peels off backing so that the sticky side is facing out.  Also adults cut report covers into strips, or in different shapes - circles, stars, squares, squiggles, etc. - it is, of course, open ended...

Have child start sticking colored plastic onto sticky surface. Let him or her explore designs, and placement. I was pleased to observe my son sink into a semi-trance as he carefully considered the placement of each piece - placing one for a moment in a certain spot, and then lifting it up only to place it somewhere else.

 

After some time had past, interestingly, I noticed that Bode had consistently placed the strips either vertically or horizontally, which gave me the opportunity to talk about what those words mean (surprisingly enough to me, he knew already...go figure!).

As I observed him being very involved and noticing things on his own, like how the overlapping colors made a different color, I found myself taking a backseat to his own self-motivated learning process; like for instance, it was he who was telling me "LOOK Mom, Look what happens when I put this one over this one! (TRANSLATION: the red over this blue makes this super cool purple!).

The Artist's work is done! The furry onlooker is none-too-pleased though, I am sure, as the artwork didn't miraculously spout out any kitty treats its way!

I am very pleased with the new "artwork" decorating our home. I put a black border of electrical tape around it so that it has a more finished look to it. I think it will grace our house for awhile to come.

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Rainbow Collage

This week, the kids worked on a collage rainbow...

I love these kinds of community projects!

Every year I order lots of garden catalogs in the mail and they are just chock full of colorful pictures of flowers, vegetables, and fruits. I find these catalogs to be just perfect for this project. I had the kids either cut out or rip small samples of colors from the pages and glue them to the corresponding arch in the rainbow. All of the kids (2-5 year olds) were engaged and having fun. Even with all these little hands contributing to the project I was surprised to find that the project was pretty time-consuming — 2 days in a row of working on it and it still isn't complete! Anyway, it was a great project for reinforcing color labeling and working on fine motor skills. Plus it tied in the theme of St. Paddy's day and rainbows. I even participated, and this mama/teacher enjoyed it as well. :)

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