Crafterateur

For a 32 qt bin I made 2 cups of rice in each color.

Gather:

• Rice
• White vinegar
• Food coloring – I used gel food coloring
• Resealable bag – I used gallon bags, but smaller bags would work for smaller batches.
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper

How to:

• To a galloon bag add 1 cup of dry rice, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and a few drops of food coloring (add more as needed for desired color).
• Seal bag, and massage around the rice until the food coloring coats all of the rice.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pour out the rice and spread out to a thin, even layer.
• Allow rice to dry completely, ~20 minutes.
• Store in an air tight container until ready for use.

Gather:

• White plastic eggs
• Acrylic paint maker

How to:

• Paint ovals/circles onto the eggs. It’s easiest to open the eggs up and paint on each half.
• Allow paint to dry completely overnight.
• Assemble eggs.
• Optional: You can coat the eggs in a top coat if you want them to last a bit longer. After one sensory bin experience, the paint gets scratched off but still looks good.

We raided our local used toy store for Super Mario figurines, and also searched eBay for Hot Wheels Super Mario monster trucks.

• Fill a shallow bin with plain and colored rice. I like to use the 32 qt Sterilite bin with lid. It stacks well and transports easily. I saved the ‘colored rice pour’ for party day because it was so satisfying for set up!
• Add Yoshi eggs – you can bury some, too!
• Add toys!
• Watch the kids explore and imagine!