colored rice | Wild And Wisdom

This green rice has been hanging around the kitchen for a week. I was desperate to colour it up, but I have been unsure how best to use it with the little guy…so it has been sat in a box looking very green and sorry for itself!

Part of the problem I guess, was knowing the mess that would follow after just a few minutes of play, I couldn’t figure out a way that he would play with the rice, instead of just launching it skywards immediately.

Dry rice is brilliant at waking up the skin receptors on the hands, it is great for those who love tactile play as well as those who don’t (they can use spoons and tools), and you can scent it to calm down an energetic toddler (lavender) or to perk up a sleepy one (peppermint). I really like the idea of using a scented rice as an introductory activity to get the brain in the zone for a task that might need a higher level of concentration. Then there are also the fine motor skills that are always under development, grasping, reaching, manipulating with the hands and fingers in preparation for handwriting , self dressing and feeding.

So today I took the plunge. I shook out a new shower curtain to cover the floor and I sat back as he played like a pro, for near 30 minutes.

Colouring rice can be as simple as adding food colouring to a box or bag of rice before shaking it up until everything is covered evenly. Some ‘recipes’ call for hand sanitizer and microwaves, but I like to keep things as straightforward as possible…

Make your colourful rice…

Add rice to a bowl, bag or box.

Add a drizzle of food colouring (add more colour until you reach the desired vibrancy.)

Shake or stir until all of the rice is evenly coloured.

Spread on a tray and leave to dry out overnight.

Then it is time to make up your sensory tray…

I chose a deep tray, and kept the activity simple. I placed a spoon and a bowl inside the tray, and added a bagful of pompoms for a totally different texture…and that was it.

He spooned the rice into the bowl, he grabbed handfuls of rice and sprinkled it about, he tried to bury the pompoms, he was totally engrossed…for 25 minutes…

…and then he did this!

…but I think half an hour of enjoyment was worth a bit of spilled rice!!!

You can take the dry rice to so many different levels for different ages. You can use it for mark making, or for themed sensory trays like this Christmas one, or imaginative play like this farm themed idea, just by changing around the objects and toys that you place in the tray.