Rainbow Rice Table

 I've been planning and plotting for some preschool type ideas for New Fish for next year and I got to thinking about sensory bins/tables. My kids crave sensory input.  It has a direct impact on how our lives go, especially for Red Fish.  We fingerpaint, we swim, we do hard physical activity, we play in the mud and dirt.  I've never set up official sensory activities but I've thought about it a lot.  So today I decided to dive in and start making (possibly monthly?) bins for my girls while they are still little.  This was one of those - I'm terrified of the mess but I'm going to force myself anyway- just dive in and think about about it later projects. Good thing Two Fish was at work.  I can only imagine what he would think if I told him I wanted to give our kids 12 pounds of rice to play with inside.  He's supportive of our messy lifestyle but often dubious.

We dyed 12 pounds of rice with a squirt of liquid watercolor in plastic freezer bags.  You can also do it with food coloring and alcohol.  I just hate how food coloring stains things so I avoid it on non-edible projects. 

 The girls enjoyed helping to shake the rice and dye it.  It was kind of magical watching it turn from white to colored.  I dumped it into a tupperware bin and it dried within a couple of minutes.

 It was so pretty in the bin I almost hated to mess it up.

 Red Fish needed her picture taken with a rainbow.  You should have seen her eyes when we first poured the rice out to dry and it made a rainbow.  Excited doesn't cover it.

 We gathered up spring themed toys from around the house and added a few scoops from the dollar store.  It was too windy outside to take the bin in the yard like I planned so we tried it in the house first.  It didn't go that badly but I was freaking out so we quickly moved to the garage.  Nobody enjoys playing when Mommy is having a conniption and hovering over them with a vacuum. 

The girls loved filling Easter eggs and building habitats for their animals.  I don't want the bin's appeal to be worn out so I put it away after an hour.  They really only spilled like 1/4 a cup of the 12 pounds of rice and it was mostly New Fish.  Can't blame a two year old for that.  We will be trying a different bin next month.  I'm thinking dried beans.