One of the things I love about preschool is all the bright colors. Kids love color and so do I. We introduced colored rice in our classroom with our R is for Rainbows unit. I tinted some rice — blue, purple, red, orange, yellow and green — and we made layers of color in clear plastic cups. Rainbows!

Later on I re-introduced our colored rice in a large plastic bin for sensory play. My expectation was that only 4 children – no more – could play around that bin successfully. I was wrong. Six and even seven youngsters gathered around with little cups, lids, cars, bottle caps, other toys and their imaginations for nearly an hour of fun.  The rice, of course, became speckled with color, as it quickly mixed in. Still pretty, it was now inseparably combined–and much was lost on the floor. Oh well–no biggie! That’s what vacuums were made for.

Enjoy!