I’ve recently discovered how much better I feel when I don’t eat grain. But what to do with all that rice that was left in the pantry? Glad you asked! Here are the four uses I’ve found so far…
1. For the 6mo+ crowd… Shakers. Dye rice different colors and put it in clean, dry water/juice/pop bottles. You might want to superglue the lids on.
2. For the 2+ crowd… I Spy tube. Dye rice different colors and put it in clean, dry water/juice/pop bottle with beads and other small trinkets. Again, you might want to superglue the lid on. If you’re really ambitious, you can lay out all the trinkets and take a picture of them first so your bambina will have a reference card to check off all the bits as she finds them.
3. For the preschooler+ crowd… Sensory tub. Dump it in a tub with other fun items such as small cups or measuring spoons.
4. For the kindergarten+ crowd… Practice with letter formation or spelling practice. Pour some rice out onto a sheet pan and let the bambina use a finger to practice making letters. (Though, I’ve heard this works better with salt or flour – of which you might also have some leftovers in your pantry if you’re going grain-free.)
(Since I used up all my rice in the shakers and I Spy tube, I had to smurf some images from other blogs. Please give them some love for me!)
And now, how to dye rice (the easy way)…
Pour some rice into a big bowl. Squirt some liquid food coloring on it. Stir it around with a spatula until it’s all coated. Pour the rice into a flat layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Stick it in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour. Let it cool. Done!
I can’t vouch for the colorfastness of this rice if you’re going to be using it for hands-on activities with older bambini, but it works just fine if you’re locking it up in a plastic bottle.
Bambina, Homemade 