One of my **NEW** favorite preschool manipulatives... COLORED RICE!!!

Let me talk you through the "how to"s of coloring rice. It's simple, it's fun, and it really doesn't have to be (very) messy.  Here's what you'll need...

• Rice (1 cup at a time... # of cups will depend on how much rice you want colored)
• 1 cup measuring cup
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Table Spoon
• Food Coloring (liquid or gel)
• News Paper
• Ghetto Up-Cycled containers with lids
• Bottles/containers for storing colored rice in

First: Gather all your supplies.  Next: Cover your workspace with a layer of newspaper (just in case). Then: you'll want to make sure your little helpers are settled and ready to have some (calm-ish) FuN! 

Okay, here we go...

Measure out 1 cup of dry rice into your container (I reused 24 oz sour cream containers with lids).  Even small hands can do this step if you have your rice in a large bowl. 

Add 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol (big people might have to help with this step... and the next one).
 
Add 5-8 drops of food coloring (I used liquid, but gel produces a more vibrant color). 

Secure the lid, and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!!!! Shake for a full minute, or even two if they're really enjoying it (and your head can handle it).

Then spread the contents of your container onto a couple layers of newspaper to dry.

It really only takes about 30minutes to an hour to dry.  Then it's ready to be played with or stored for the fun things ahead.  (refer to upcoming posts about eye-spy bottles, sensory boxes, and other FuN)

Teaching opportunities: You can use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about primary and secondary colors by mixing your primary colored food coloring to make your secondary colors. Talk to them about why you use alcohol instead of vinegar (it drys faster).Work on fractions by teaching them that 2 half cups and 4 quarter cups are equal to a cup of rice. Work on conversions between teaspoons and tablespoons.  Practice measuring things out themselves by letting them do the measuring. Following multi-step directions (tell them how to do the whole process and let them go at it with little guidance from you)

There you have it, Science, Math, and Art class all wrapped up in a 15 minute lesson.  & now you have a staple to more FuN!