How to Dye Pasta for Sensory Play

It is easy to make your own brightly coloured, neon coloured or pastel coloured pasta for sensory play at home, preschool or classroom. This simple recipe for how to dye pasta for sensory play can be altered to serve your specific needs.

How to Dye Pasta

Coloured pasta is a great filler for sensory bins. Blue coloured pasta is great to use as a water base in sensory bins and bottles, while green is great for grass.

To make this fun pasta, you will need:

• 2 cups of uncooked pasta per colour
• 1 tsp of white vinegar, or water, or rubbing alcohol
• food colouring or coloured food gel
• Essential Oils, optional

Directions

• Pour the rubbing alcohol or vinegar into a gallon-sized zip top freezer bag.

• Add the food coloring (10 or more drops) and swirl the bag gently to mix the food coloring with the alcohol.

• Place the pasta into the bag and seal the bag closed.
• Toss and shake the bag until the pasta is evenly coated in color. If additional food coloring is needed, add it and continue shaking the bag to coat.

• When the pasta is completely coated, transfer the pasta to a rimmed baking sheet covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spread the pasta into an even layer and allow to dry for several hours, stirring once.
• You could use a different shape pasta for each colour or the same shape pasta for each colour. You can make as many different coloured pastas as you want. A good way to help children learn about mixing colours is to have them help you when you are mixing colours to dye the pasta.

Essential Oil Notes

You can choose any essential oils that you like, but make sure that the oil your use is safe for your age child. If you think that your child may try to put the rice in their mouth, try using the dietary oils such as lemon, lime and tangerine. Some essential oils shouldn’t be used around children, please do your research before adding any oils to this rice.

More Sensory Activities

• How to Dye Rice for Sensory Play
• Honey Slime
• Sand Slime
• Autumn Glitter Slime
• Alphabet Sensory Bottle
• Butterfly Sensory Bottle
• Ocean Sensory Bottle

How to Dye Rice for Sensory Play

Learn how to dye pasta for sensory play with this easy to make recipe that can be used for play at home, preschool or in the classroom.

1x2x3x

Print Pin

Servings 2 cups per colour

Supplies

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups pasta
• 1 tsp white vinegar, or water, or rubbing alcohol
• food colouring, or coloured food gel
• Essentials oils, optional

Instructions

 

• Pour the rubbing alcohol or vinegar into a gallon-sized zip top freezer bag.
• Add the food coloring (10 or more drops) and swirl the bag gently to mix the food coloring with the alcohol.
• Place the pasta into the bag and seal the bag closed.Toss and shake the bag until the pasta is evenly coated in color. If additional food coloring is needed, add it and continue shaking the bag to coat. If you want to add essential oil, add 1-2 drops at this point.
• When the pasta is completely coated, transfer the pasta to a rimmed baking sheet covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Spread the pasta into an even layer and allow to dry for several hours, stirring once.

Keyword coloured pasta, Sensory Play

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