Coloured pasta

Coloured pasta is a great sensory activity that keeps little hands occupied as they explore the different textures and mix up all the colours.

Coloured pasta doesn't take long to make but does require for it to be left in the sun or inside overnight  to dry.

To make:

 Grab a few bags of different shaped pasta- i used macaroni, penne, spiral and shell.

Empty the packets into individual bowls and cover with water so there is maybe 1-2 cms of water left above the pasta. 

Mix in a few drops of food colouring of your choice then give it a stir with a skewer or chopstick. Left for about 10-20 minutes you'll notice the pasta change colour and the water slowly get absorbed.

Before you tip out the excess water give it another stir.

Drain as much excess water as you can them spread the pasta out on a tray. 
I left mine out in the sun during the day, doing out every couple of hours to move them around so they dried evenly. 

The last time i didn't dry them completely so the pasta was still soft but the boys enjoyed it nonetheless. This time i dried them completely back to their hard state.

The next day i added them all to a large shallow container and added a few cars but you could add little cups or spoons- whatever you have available to play and mix the pasta with.

The colours were so vibrant the boys just looked  at what i set before them for a bit. 

But soon enough......

All my boys loved it! 

Once the older two had enough of the pasta the baby decided to sit in it and push his hands and feet all through it.

Lots of fun!

Do note: Doesn't keep well and will probably need to be thrown in the compost after use, also doesn't vacuum that well so post clean up might involve sweeping any fallen pasta up.

If you have any questions about this activity or any other i post feel free to ask and i will do my best to answer them for you!