This project, like many we do, began with the kids creating it. I am not a fan of having a project set up and ready for them; I nearly always prefer involving them in the creation and then turning them lose to play and learn.

We began by dying the pasta! I bought the cheapest possible pasta, in the greatest variety possible. Ziti, rotini, penne, alphabet…as many shapes and sizes as I could find. (This matters later for math skills like sorting and ordering.) The kids helped me put a few drops of rubbing alcohol in each gallon bag, followed by a few drops of food coloring. We gave it a tiny squeeze to mix the alcohol and food coloring, and then we dumped one box of pasta in each bag. Then the fun part - they got to shake each bag of pasta until every individual piece of pasta was coated in color. This is always a popular activity and an excellent energy-expender (patent pending on that term)!

Then we had to let it dry (we dumped it all out and spread it out on waxed paper), which was a great exercise in patience…and an opportunity to read books and play outside while we passed the time.

When it dried, we dumped it in the under-the-bed-storage-container sensory bin. From there, I let the kids lead! They knew just what to do and how to use this fun, new material. They scooped, they dumped, they measured, they poured…they drove cars through it and sat in it, they even built with it! They sorted by size, color, and shape, and put them in size order. One day the following week we used it to make patterns. We even glued them down and made pictures! Most of all though, they played. They loved how it felt on their hands and feet and also how it sounded!

It’s not the quietest of materials, which is my only warning. But’s 100% worth it for the hours and hours of educational engagement.