create kiddo: Kool-Aid Dyed Rice

so here are the GENIUS reasons why I dye with kool-aid vs. food coloring

• kool-aid doesn’t dye your hands after it dries like the food coloring does
• it smells good, so it covers the rubbing alcohol smell, which even after the rice dries can still be overwhelming
• the colors are gorgeous, much brighter than food coloring would make

so have I convinced ya?  are you a kool-aid convert? (side note: when purchasing kool-aid, to determine the color that it will dye to, look at the picture on the front, of the liquid in the cup that mr. kool-aid man is holding – don’t be fooled by the color of the envelope – the color in the cup is the color it will dye to)

Ingredients/tools:

• Gallon-Size Freezer bags (use the Freezer ones, they are thicker & easier to shake the mixture with)
• Tray for drying overnight

For each color/freezer bag of rice, you will need:

• 1 cup of rice (I buy a huge 5lb or 10lb bag at Walmart very cheap just for this purpose)
• 1 teaspoon rubbing alcohol
• 1/2 teaspoon kool-aid (weirdly packets can vary from color, to how much is in each envelope but generally each envelope contains 1 teaspoon)

Here’s how it goes together:

1. open your freezer bag nice & wide and stand it up
2. first add the 1 cup of rice
3. next add the 1/2 teaspoon kool-aid
4. lastly add the 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol
5. seal it shut (make sure it is shut…because wet kool-aided rice would NOT be a fun experience to clean up)
6. and shake, shake, shake it up (this can be a fun part in the process for the kids to do too!)
7. let it sit for a good 15 minutes
8. pour it out onto a tray & get it as flat as it will go so that you can dry it overnight (or for at least 6-8 hours)
9. I usually make little tin foil boats (like the pic below) in the tray to separate the colors & it looks soooo pretty too!
10. when it is dry it will be all clumped together, smoosh (this is the technical word) it down to separate the rice grains & you are good to go (smooshing is also fun for the kiddos to do, to get them involved!)
11. separate the colors in the sensory bin to your liking :)

well, have fun with your new sensory bin!!!! :)