So I recently claimed that rainbow shredded coconut was my favorite sensory bin filler ever. I take that back because I had not yet discovered the awesomeness that is rainbow dyed chickpeas. There are so many reasons why these rainbow chickpeas are now our new favorite sensory bin filler. First of all, they are simply gorgeous. But they are also ridiculously simple to make since there is practically zero drying time involved.
Ready to find out how to dye dried chickpeas for sensory play?
Rainbow Dyed Chickpeas Sensory Play Idea for Kids
They look like Skittles candy, don't you think? Except the orange ones. They remind me of nacho corn nuts. Oh how I love nacho corn nuts! Yum!
But these aren't edible. However, you can make them edible. Although, still don't let your kids eat them.
Let me dazzle you with a few more pictures before I spill the beans (ha!) on how to make these rainbow dyed chickpeas. As you can see, little hands could not resist touching them. First, there were two hands.
And then there were four...
Soon our sensory bin resembled a swirl of junk food goodness. Nacho Skittle corn nuts, anyone?
No? What if J offered them in a cup to you?
Still no? How about if K served up a portion for you?
Come on...if a two year old offers you something, then you take it, right?
Ah, perfect! You're on board to try it then! I'll make sure K dished you up some that weren't touching his toes. Deal? Good!
Rainbow Dyed Chickpeas: How to Dye Chickpeas for Sensory Play
What you'll need to dye dried chickpeas (or garbanzo beans!) for sensory play:
- Giant bag of dried chickpeas - I used a 1.8 kg bag that I purchased for $3.50. I waited for it to go on sale!
- Liquid watercolors - You could probably try food coloring, but liquid watercolors sure makes things easier and more vibrant!
- Large zipper seal plastic bags
For each color of the rainbow, I put 1.5 cups of chickpeas and about 5-8 squirts of liquid watercolors in a plastic bag. Then I let the boys shake and mix the contents until the chickpeas were well coated. You may need to add more liquid watercolors to get complete bean coverage. I highly suggest adding a few squirts at first and then adding one additional squirt at a time until they are well coated.
Now here's the magical thing about dyeing dried chickpeas. They dry almost instantly. Seriously. Within minutes, the chickpeas were dry to the touch. That means you don't have to wait for hours for them to dry. Yay!
The other reason why rainbow dyed chickpeas are simply the best sensory bin filler: their weight. Since chickpeas are heavier than dyed oats or salt or rice or coconut, they offer a lot more tactile input to sensory seeking kids. That means they are also a lot more noisy than other sensory bin fillers, but my noisy boys enjoyed that part too!
Other Things You'll Love
Does the paint come off on wet hands? Do you store each color separately? Thanks, love your ideas!
ReplyDeleteWith liquid watercolors, yes, the color would come off on wet hands. These chickpeas are still sitting in our sensory bin as the boys have been playing with them for about 10 days straight now. However, come storage time, I will just put them in one bag with all of the colors mixed together. Leaving them mixed together is a great invitation to sort by color the next time we play!
DeleteAnd thanks, I love your comments!
This is AWESOME! do you think it would work with gel food colouring??
ReplyDeleteI have never worked with gel food coloring before, but I bet it would work. You will likely have to add a touch of water or vinegar (kind of like dyeing rice with food coloring) to get a good color distribution. Try it out and let me know!
DeleteToo Funny, did you see that your post posts in a column, and your responses print one letter at a time in a column? I have not read all of your posts, but when I dye rice or such, I put a dab of rubbingalcohol into the bag, a few drops of food coloring, mix, add rice, mash it around, then pour out on wax paper to dry. Works great, stays dyed, even when wet. And please, see if you can fix how your post posts...it was fun for a while, but it does give me a headache! Love you, Susie from Port Huron, Michigan, USA
ReplyDeleteMy blog doesn't appear that way on my end nor has it on any other computers and devices that I have viewed it on. It could likely be due to your computer's screen resolution or perhaps you were reading it when I was playing around with the website design the other night. Anyway, it shouldn't appear one letter at a time in a column, but please let me know if you continue to have problems!
DeleteI have used that method of rubbing alcohol before when dyeing rice, although I prefer to use vinegar in case little kiddies try to taste it. :)
Seems my comment didn't make your board! Let's try this again.
ReplyDeleteCould you please better describe to me what liquid watercolors are? All I can seem to find is a tube of watercolor paint (similar to oil paint tubes) is that correct?
They come in bottles vs a tube. My friend Asia at Fun at Home with Kids has a fabulous post that describes liquid watercolors in more detail. I would highly suggest reading it: http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/08/what-are-liquid-watercolors-and-why.html
DeleteMy chickpeas turned out wonderfully! Almost don't want the kids to mess with my rainbow...
ReplyDeleteHahahah! Aren't they the easiest things ever to dye?! And for the record, I had to tell my boys multiple times, "Don't touch the rainbow yet. I need more pictures!"
Deletedoes adding vinegar or rubbing alcohol help the paint from transferring to wet hands?
ReplyDeleteI don't think vinegar or rubbing alcohol would help with that, sorry.
Deleteso what is the purpose of adding it in then?
ReplyDeleteI think it's to help spread the color when you use food coloring, but not entirely sure. Anyway, the dyed chickpeas don't require anything extra like vinegar or rubbing alcohol.
Deleteok thanks, i was a bit confused with that add on.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you buy your dried chick peas from?
ReplyDeleteI bought them from a local grocery store. Comes in a large bag and it cost like only $2-3 or so.
DeleteWe love Sensory Bins! I would love it if you would share your sensory ideas at my Sensory Bin Play Link Up!http://ourhomeofmanyblessings.com/sensory-bin-ideas/
ReplyDeleteI wish I could find the time to share posts on link parties! Just never get around to it, but thank you for the invite.
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