How To Colour Pasta – DIY Pasta Play

How To Colour Pasta For Kids Sensory Play

How to colour pasta in 5 easy steps.

Colouring Pasta is an awesome sensory activity and STEM project.

This coloured pasta activity is educational!

Learning opportunities include:

• STEM
• Developing fine motor skills
• Learning about colours
• Counting & measuring
• Weight and Density

.This is a very simple method with no alcohol involved.

It’s advised to have some cleaning product on hand. If you’re doing this in your kitchen, put an old towel down on the bench or a plastic sheet.

What You Will Need

• Uncooked hollow pasta like Penne or Large Macaroni (you can also use rice)
• Ziplock bags or sandwich bags (Alternatively Containers can be used)
• White Vinegar
• Food colouring (You can with some effort make rainbow pasta)
• Baking paper or Paper Towel
• Drying tray or large container

Instructions

Step 1: Set out the amount of pasta or rice you will need in individual bags. For example, if you are using 4 Different colours you will need 4 Bags of Pasta.

Step 2: In each bag of pasta pour enough vinegar in to wet the contents without too much excess in the bottom of the bag. Close the bag and distribute the vinegar evenly.

Step 3: Open the bag and pour a few drops of food colouring in. Close the bag and distribute the colouring through the pasta.

Step 4: Line your drying tray with the paper towel or baking paper. Spread the pasta across it.

Step 5: Wait for your pasta to dry before removing it from the tray

Depending on how wet your pasta is will depend on drying time. I prefer to prepare this activity the day before. Once your pasta is dry you can put it in containers or play with it straight from the tray.

Tip: If you’re making rainbow pasta my advice would be to make up all of your food colourings before you get started.

What Can You Make With Coloured Pasta?

Now that I’ve shown you how to colour pasta you can try so many activities.

Coloured pasta can be used as a sensory tool, development of motor skills, creativity, counting and identifying colours and shapes. this is a great project for Preschoolers & Prep age children.

List Of STEM Activities with Pasta Play:

• Jewellery Making
• Pasta Play Table with Funnels and Other Toys
• Pasta with Play Dough
• Pretend Cooking With Pasta
• Paper Plate Activity – Glue a Pasta Meal on your plate
• Pretend People with Pasta Hair
• Wet your Pasta and Do a Pasta Painting
• Pasta Bendy People Using Pipe Cleaners as a Body
• Get Some Old Containers and Make Pasta Shaker Musical Instruments
• Play Pasta Hide & Seek hiding your small items in a bucket of coloured pasta

TIP: If you would like to neutralise some of the vinegar smell out of your dried pasta add a few drops of essential oil and distribute through 🙂

 Pasta Play Sensory Pit Using Pasta & 2 Ingredient Sensory Sand