Sunday, August 24, 2014

Rainbow Puffed Wheat {How to Dye Cereal for Sensory Play}

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Rainbow sensory bin fillers are quickly becoming a favorite around here. We've recently dyed oats, shredded coconut, and dried chickpeas for sensory play. The latest item to fall victim to my rainbow dyeing ways was a bag of expired puffed wheat cereal. Here's how you can dye puffed wheat cereal at home too.

Rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal sensory play for kids from And Next Comes L

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While tidying up my pantry, I came across a bag of expired puffed wheat cereal. How expired? Well, almost two years. Ahem. So what's a girl to do with expired food? Dye it of course! And look how lovely it is!

Rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal sensory play for kids from And Next Comes L

Rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal sensory play for kids from And Next Comes L

Rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal sensory play for kids from And Next Comes L

The dyed puffed wheat turned out great, although some of the more saturated pieces of cereal ended up shrinking in size. Regardless, the boys couldn't wait to dig in.

Playing with rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal - a fun sensory play idea for toddlers & preschoolers from And Next Comes L

It was like digging into a giant bowl of fruity pebbles! Although, don't go eating it. Remember how I said it was almost two years past expiration? Yeah, probably not so tasty at this point.

Playing with rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal - a fun sensory play idea for toddlers & preschoolers from And Next Comes L

Playing with rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal - a fun sensory play idea for toddlers & preschoolers from And Next Comes L

Playing with rainbow dyed puffed wheat cereal - a fun sensory play idea for toddlers & preschoolers from And Next Comes L

It's pretty, isn't it?

How to dye puffed wheat cereal for sensory play from And Next Comes L

To dye puffed wheat cereal at home, you will need:

For each color, I used two cups of puffed wheat cereal, a teaspoon or two or water, and a few generous squirts of liquid watercolors. I put all the materials in a large zipper seal bag and had the boys shake the bag until the puffed wheat was evenly coated. It took a few hours to dry completely before it was ready for play.

How to dye puffed wheat cereal for sensory play from And Next Comes L

Don't forget to check out these other rainbow dyed sensory bin fillers:


Rainbow puffed wheat: how to dye puffed wheat cereal for sensory play from And Next Comes L