Create a jack-o-lantern in this super fun scoop and pour coloured rice sensory bin. It’s a great not-so-scary Halloween activity for toddlers and preschoolers.
Looking for other amazing not-so-scary Halloween activities for toddlers and preschoolers? Check out these amazing ideas:
- Halloween Colour Matching
- Halloween Sensory Bin
- Oobleck Spider Rescue
- Halloween Fizzing Science Sensory Bin – vinegar and baking soda –
How to Make Orange Rice
- 1 Cup of White Rice
- Several Drops of Orange Gel Food Colouring
- 1/2 tsp White Vinegar
- Large Ziploc Bag
- Baking Sheet or Tupperware container
- Parchment Paper
- Combine the rice, white vinegar and food colouring in a Ziploc bag.
- Seal it carefully and mix the contents throughly.
- Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet or line a Tupperware container.
- Spread the coloured rice out on the parchment paper and allow it to dry over night.
Supplies
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- Orange Coloured Rice
- 41 Qt, Clear Sensory Bin (Large) or a IKEA FLISAT Children’s Sensory Table
- Spoons and Learning Resources Handy Scoopers
- Clear Plastic Bottles
- Black Liquid Chalk Marker or Black Sharpie
How to Set Up Jack-o-Lantern Sensory Bin
Gather your supplies. Pour your orange coloured rice into your sensory bin. Add spoons and scoopers.
Grab your clear plastic bottles and a black liquid chalk marker or sharpie. Draw jack-o-lantern faces on one side of the bottles. I created 6 for my twins which was way more than they needed. One large bottle or two smaller ones would have been plenty. I used black liquid markers to create the faces on my jack-o-lanterns because I wanted to be able to reuse my bottles for other activities.
The advantage of using chalk markers over permanent markers is that it washes off so much easier but the disadvantage is that is can be rubbed off by the kids as the play.
After doing this activity a few times with my kids I still prefer chalk markers. But if you are using bottles that you don’t want to reuse definitely use a sharpie!
Now the recipe above to make coloured rice only calls for 1 cup but I used way more than that in this activity. I actually used about 6 or 7 cups of rice.
If your toddler is anything like mine they will not need any invitation to this activity. My twins dived right in and started scooping and pouring the orange rice into the jack-o-lantern bottles!
This was a total hit and will become a staple Halloween activity in our house!
NonFood Filler Ideas
Don’t want to use rice or a food to do this activity? Try orange pom poms, orange water beads, gravel painted orange, orange dyed Epsom salts.
Skill Development Opportunities
This activity is great for Colour Recognition, Language and Vocabulary Development, Hand-Eye Coordination, Fine Motor Skills, Problem Solving, Emotional Development, Trial & Error, Visual Perception, Cognitive Development, Imaginative and Sensory Play.
Age Suitability
This activity is ideal for 18 month old toddlers to 4 year old preschoolers.
WILL YOU TRY JACK-O-LANTERN SENSORY BIN WITH YOUR LITTLE ONE? Pin it for later!!!
