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Under the Sea Rice Sensory Activity

The other day I found my oldest son in the pantry trying to open a bag of rice. Why you ask? He said he wanted to play with it. So I got to work to finding an activity for my boys that involves rice.

Rice is the perfect base for sensory play; it stimulates the sense of touch, helps work on fine motor control and encourages hand eye coordination. To add a visual aspect to it I decided to dye the rice and make a theme.I am in an ocean-y mood since we are heading to the beach in a few weeks, so I decided to make an under the sea theme(even though I knew my boys would just grab their construction truck to play in it lol). I went to the toy closet and grabbed a bunch of the kids sea creatures and some pom poms for different textures. Then I got to work dying the rice.

First I gathered all my materials; gallon size ziplock bag, 2 cups of white rice (I used medium grain), white vinegar, food dye, and a baking pan.

To start I put the 2 cups of rice in the ziplock bag.

Then I measured 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and added it to the rice. I also added about 8 drops of blue food color to the bag. I did not add any essential oils to the mixture for a few reasons, first I am not an expert with them and haven’t been able to really research them to know what is safe and what isn’t. Secondly my youngest occasionally puts things in his mouth (it’s very rare but it does happen) so I hope the scent of vinegar will deter that thought.

After all the ingredients have been put in the ziplock bag, I sealed it and started mixing/shaking until all of the rice was blue. Some pieces had more pigment than others, and this is totally fine!

Once all the pieces are a shade of blue(or whatever color you decide to use), you will pour the mixture onto a baking pan to dry overnight.

After this mixture has completely dried, you can put together your activity!

I poured the rice into a large Tupperware container, so it could be sealed and played with later. I then added the props: sea creatures, and some pom poms to give it a different texture. Once it was complete, I put a sheet down to catch any loose rice and let my boys play.

This activity is a perfect for both my 2.5 and almost 4 year old. It kept them entertained for a good hour. They absolutely loved it!

If you give this activity a try, let me know how it goes! I would love to hear your feedback and see your recreations. Please leave a comment, pin, or tag me on Instagram @healthyhathamama and #healthyhathamama. Have a Healthy Hatha day friends!

Under the Sea Rice Sensory

Supplies

• 2 Cups Rice
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 5-7 Drops of Food Coloring
• 1 Gallon Size Ziplock Bag
• Baking Sheet
• Tupperware or Sensory Bin
• Handful of Pom Poms
• Sea Creature Toys

Directions

1. Place rice in ziplock bag.
2. Add vinegar, and food coloring to rice.
3. Make sure the bag is sealed, and then mix/shake until food coloring is distributed.
4. Pour mixture onto baking tray. Let this sit out overnight to dry.
5. Put together your activity by placing rice in your bin, then add the pom poms and sea creatures.
6. Let your little one play and have fun!

*If your child tends to put items in their mouth be sure to keep an eye on them since some of the items can be a choking hazard.

*You can store the rice in a ziplock bag to reuse again and again for sensory play.

If you give this activity a try, let me know how it goes! I would love to hear your feedback and see your recreations. Please leave a comment, pin, or tag me on Instagram @healthyhathamama and #healthyhathamama. Have a Healthy Hatha day friends!