If you are a mom of a toddler and own a Pinterest account, then you  probably have  come across Rice Sensory Play. I always stumble upon these types of pins. When I was out shopping last week, I picked up a few items to celebrate the month of March, and “Leprechaun” season. You can check out fun projects in my recent  posts: How to Grow a Rainbow & A Surprise Visit from a Leprechaun.  This was my first time doing a rice sensory project. It proved to be super easy and my daughter loved it. All in all, it was a success.  It’s a fun way to entertain your toddler. I was surprised how much she liked playing with the rice. I suppose there is a reason these are ALL over Pinterest. To fit in with the theme of Leprechaun season, we dyed the rice green to look like fresh grass. I then buried plastic gold coins in the “grass.” We used this as a sorting activity and pulled the coins out of the rice and then placed them into another bucket. We started out in her highchair but she’s still in the throwing phase. There was more rice on the ground than at a wedding. I then moved her and the bowls into a large bin, which contained most of the rice. 🙂

What you need:

1 Bag of Rice (I picked mine up from the dollar store)

3 Teaspoons of Water

Green Dye ( I used about 10-15 drops)

Plastic Gold Coins

A Large Bowl (for Rice) and a Small Bowl ( to collect coins)

*Never leave children unattended during activities. Make sure they are supervised and the activity is age appropriate. Small toys may be a choking hazard. 

1. Add three teaspoons of water to a large Ziplock Bag
2. Add in desired amount of food coloring (I used about 10-15 drops)
3. Add Rice: Shake the bag so that the color evenly coats the rice
4. Let the rice dry for about 30 minutes. I poured it from the bag, into a bowl, then used the bag to dry it on. You can also use wax paper and a baking sheet.
5. After it dries add the plastic gold coins and rice back into the large bowl
6. Have fun!