As a former kindergarten teacher, there are certain things that I just assume everyone knows how to do….dyeing pasta is one of those things.
I’ve lately realized, though, that (duh) not everyone may have the noodle-coloring know-how, and I’m here to shed some light on this fun and easy craft DIY…
I know, I know…this post is definitely coloring outside the lines as far as my usual posts go…but my two and a half year old and I have been crafting up a storm lately, and I wanted to share one of our most recent crafty endeavors.
The process is simple and fun-just take a few basic materials…
Step 1: Take your pasta and separate it into plastic baggies. Just as an FYI-I try to buy different shapes/sizes for variety and to use for sorting activities…but also make sure to have some sort of tube pasta for necklaces!
Step 2: Into each baggie, pour a couple of “glugs” (I’m oh so technical) of rubbing alcohol, and a few drops of food coloring. The more food coloring, the deeper the hue (I used roughly half a bottle per bag, but you can definitely use less).
Step 3: Close the bag, double bag it if you’d like, and then, (this is where it gets fun)-shake, shake, shake! The kiddos love helping with this part, as you can imagine.
Step 4: If the color is where you want it, lay pasta out in the sun to dry for a few hours.
(Pasta almost, but not quite, as dark as you’d like? Just lay the bags flat and turn over every few minutes (allowing the dye to continue to soak into the pasta). Or, just add more coloring/alcohol.)
Wondering what to do with all this multi-colored goodness (besides making a million necklaces)?
Use the pasta for sorting activities (can be sorted by color, shape, and size), patterning activities, art projects, counting and math activities…really, this stuff is amazing.
Last, but not least, your comments on my Fall Garland/Twine giveaway post were amazing!
The lucky winner is Javablustamper/Jacquie–you’ve been emailed-congrats!!