Ahh, just looking at that picture makes me relax a little. We often use sensory play as a lovely way to chill out after school, or to transition from a busy day towards bedtime. Tired children sometimes need a little direction and sensory play offers an activity idea that’s interesting but also calming and relaxing. Play dough is our favourite choice for sensory play but today we tried something different: lavender dyed rice. It’s touchy-feely and smells wonderful – perfect for chilled out kids. Here’s how to dye rice and make a bedtime sensory tub.
Bedtime sensory tub: how to dye rice
Start by placing your uncooked rice in a plastic bag – double bag as a precaution against tears and spills!
Then mix up your colour. I blended blue and pink food colouring to make a lovely lavender shade.
Pour the food colouring into the bag of rice and stir, stir, stir to distribute the colour.
Lay out the rice to dry over night and your rice is ready. Easy peasy!
To add an extra sensory element to our bedtime tub we added the flower heads from some lavender stalks. The rice has such a pleasant feel, as it’s soft and pours through your hands. With the added lavender it smells so relaxing too.
You could add scoops and spoons and bowls for your children to play with the rice. Or hide some little treasures in the tub for them to hunt for. My kids didn’t even want to wait for me to add any extras – the colour, scent and feel of the rice was irresistible and they just had to play straight away.
For some of the best sensory play ideas around come and follow my Sensory/Messy Play pinboard
Get the best play ideas around, every week
Pop your e-mail address in the box below and I’ll send you a free weekly Play Planner, with the best ideas for fun play, every day.
 |
Love the lavender rice, have found a mess free way to colour the rice than in the bag, if you use a old plastic tub with a lid (Take out tubs, or old sandwich box)you can even add the lavender at this stage too, and just shake, it’s less mess and the kids can do it too,Keeps pretty well too xxx
Oh fab tip Emma – thank you!
What a wonderful idea! I’m going to try this before naptime, since my little guy has such a hard time falling asleep. Maybe he will relax with the added lavender…maybe I should try it, too.
You are a genius! This looks so relaxing I may make a big tub of it for myself! Just pinned, thanks for sharing. Vicky from http://www.messforless.net
Vicky, I keep playing with it myself every time I walk passed it!
Hi Cathy.
Does the colour come off on the children’s hands?
Do you think that adding lavender essence would work to enhance the scent?
I’d love to make them for a montessori pouring activity in practical life
Clair
Hi Clair. No, it didn’t come off on the children’s hands at all – but I think that will depend on which brand of food colouring you use. We use Silver Spoon Create colouring. You could add lavender essence but the scent was strong enough just from using the real lavender flower heads, so I don’t think you’d need it.
I love this! Definitely putting this on my to do list!
Glad you like the idea chelsey
[...] Bedtime Sensory Tub: Lavender Dyed Rice {Nurture Store} [...]
In love with this post, the colors, the scent, the time of day…thanks for the inspiration!
Glad you liked it Marnie.
[...] the other end of the day, try our bedtime sensory tub which uses calming lavender to help children chill [...]
Can you leave the dye out? We have food due sensitivities.
Yes Laurel, you sure could. You’ll obviously not have purple rice, but the white rice would look just as lovely. The fragrance comes from the lavender so the tub will still have lovely sensory qualities even without the colour.
What a great idea! Unfortunately my husband is allergic to lavender : (