To help her sensory and speech issues, Olivia has been working with an awesome occupational therapist. On one of Tracy’s visits, she brought an enormous sensory bin filled with colorful noodles. Olivia LOVED scooping, dumping, and pouring. The best news?… the bin was large enough for Olivia to actually climb in (which she eagerly did!). Here’s a quick pic I took during this visit:
I knew I wanted to recreate this learning activity… so….
14 boxes of noodles later, Olivia has her own extra-big DIY sensory bin!
Tracy told me the secret to getting her noodles to turn a gorgeous blue was soaking them in rubbing alcohol. I did a few Google searches to figure out the exact process.
Some posts suggested using vinegar to dye the noodles. I actually tried this approach with one box. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same success. The noodles I dyed with vinegar came out clumpy and an entirely different texture. See the comparison?
Since I wasn’t planning on using any of the noodles in later recipes, I went ahead and used alcohol as a dying medium.
I would definitely recommend using gel based food coloring! I mixed the gel coloring with alcohol in a small bowl and then dumped in into a Ziploc bag filled with noodles. The next step was super easy- shake, shake, and shake some more!
After the color was dispersed, I emptied the noodles onto parchment paper and arranged them into a single layer to dry. Since the gel food coloring is so potent, a pair of disposable gloves was invaluable for the step of the process!
Olivia absolutely loves her new DIY sensory bin! I love that this activity will grow with her. We can use the noodles for learning colors, sorting, counting, adding to art projects, and the list continues!
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