Valentines Sensory Bin: Strawberry Scented Rice & Hearts

So the other day I made 12 batches of rainbow rice and I have to say this method without rubbing alcohol was my favorite because it smells so good, the color turned out amazing (and didn’t come off on their hands), and the kids loved it! The bright red color and sweet smell make it perfect for Valentines Day, Strawberry Shortcake or Summer themed sensory play. All 3 ingredients are taste-safe.

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Strawberry Sensory Rice

Supplies:
1 tsp. of powdered Strawberry Kool-aid (or any red Kool-aid would work)
1 C. uncooked rice
1 T. water
Red food coloring (optional)

We made ours in an empty sour cream container for easy storage. You could also use a plastic bag, the kids love to help shake the rice to mix it up. Once the rice is dry it’s ready to play with.

Directions:
1. Mix ingredients together until the rice is fully coated and red then set it out to dry. Occasionally mix it up so the bottom can dry too. It took ours a couple hours to dry until it was ready to play with.

My son kept asking me if it was okay to eat. Although the ingredients are taste-safe, you don’t want to let this play activity become a snack. When ingested, dry rice swells. Please make sure to supervise kiddos.

Valentines Sensory Bin

Supplies:

Strawberry Rice

Sensory add ins: Heart shaped objects, Glass gems, puff balls…(optional)

Sensory play toys: Cups/Funnels/Spoons
Large bins
Cookie sheets (optional)

Directions:

1. Put all the supplies together and give to children to play and explore. I let each of my kids have their own bin that I place on top of a cookie sheet to try and keep the rice off the floor. We still ended up vacuuming after the activity. I have a mini vacuum that the kids love to use and help out.