By Kathryn Peck
I’d never dyed rice until a few months ago when I made a food-inspired sensory bin for my kids. It was so surprisingly easy – rice, water, food coloring – and it made some beautiful shades of rice to play with. You can find other instructions that call for vinegar and/or lemon juice, which can also help to disperse the color evenly, but in my book, the less ingredients the better.
What You Need
1 c. rice (per color)
1/2 tsp. water (per color)
10 –15 drops food coloring (per color)
A plastic bag or a reusable plastic container (note that it could stain)
Steps
- Place 1 c. of rice into plastic bag or container.
- Mix 1/2 tsp. of water and 10-15 drops of food coloring (the more food coloring you use, the darker it’ll be).
- Add liquid color to the rice, seal completely, then shake and mix until the color has spread evenly. Add more water and/or food coloring as needed to completely coat the rice.
- Spread the rice out on parchment paper, aluminum foil, a baking sheet, or even a paper towel and allow to dry for at least 1 hour. This is perhaps the most important step, because if it’s not completely dry, it’ll be just like getting food coloring on your fingers, which we all know is no fun.
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About the author: Kathryn is the owner of Bicycle Pie and mom of 4 little ones. Also a writer, editor, and former owner of one of Boston's premiere baby boutiques, she continues to write about motherhood, children's products, family life, and all other things that test our skills and patience as parents.
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