Busy Box 1 - Coloured Rice

This is great for sensory play for children 2 and up.  You don't want to give it to children when they are still putting things in their mouth.

Rice play is used a lot in Montessori education.  It be a great tactile and calming play experience for children and teaches them early science skills.

To make the rice.
- Add one cup of rice to a plastic bag
- Mix your choice of food colouring to 1 tablespoon of vinegar
 - Optional - also add 1 drop of essential oil to the mix, this just makes it smell nice and takes away the vinegar smell
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and rub into the rice until it is all coated.
-  Pour the rice onto a tray an leave it to dry (about an hour).

Ideas for use.
- Put it in a large plastic tray with Scoops, cups, funnels, bottles, water wheel.
- Put it in shaker bottles.
- Put with plastic tweezers and get older children to separate the colours (takes a child with an eye for detail and lots of focus to enjoy this).
- Add animals, dinosours etc. 
- With some scales and get they to try and balance the weight.
- Ask children how they could use it, children are far more inventive than adults.

Keep it in a zip locked bag and it should last for months.  Be wary this can be a very messy play experience.