Rainbow Pasta

I haven't colored pasta for a very long time, so when I saw the idea again, I knew it would be fun to make as a rainbow.  I saw a couple different ideas on ways to make rainbows with the colored pasta, but decided to take part of one idea and put it together with ideas I have done in the past.

First, you need to color the pasta.  I made it the night before so it had time to dry.....takes a couple hours.  You will need: wagon wheel pasta, rubbing alcohol, food coloring, baggies (the good kind), pan or tray, and paper towels.  Put about 1/2 cup of pasta into a baggy, add 1/8 cup of rubbing alcohol, then put your food coloring in, seal baggy and shake until all the pasta is covered......the longer it sits, the more intense the color.  Once your pasta is the desired color, drain the liquid (I cut a hole in the corner of the baggy and poured the liquid through the hole) and dump the pasta on paper towels on a tray or pan.  Once dry, you are ready to make your rainbow!

This was sitting on the table this morning for the kids to discover.....they were very curious as to what we were going to make. 

Take a paper plate (I of course realized this morning that I was out of paper plates, so had to snag some from a wonderful neighbor.....Thanks, Connie!)  and cut it in half.

We started from the outside and worked our way in.  The children helped put a line of glue on the outside edge and then started covering with red pasta, then we added more glue and did orange, then yellow, green, blue and finally purple.  It was amazing to me that the children had really learned the order of a rainbow cause when they were done with one color, they knew what color should go next. 

Cooper was giving me the evil eye for taking his picture!

 Here are their rainbows.......they were so proud of them.  Once they are dry, we will add streamers to the bottom and hang them up (post pic later).

I told E to smile and he said he was!

Cooper decided it was ok for me to take his picture now and gave me a great big smile!

You could also just leave them like this.....they are very cute.  You can use all different kinds of pasta to color and create fun pictures.  I saw another idea to use the pasta below and use it as beads for necklaces and bracelets.....I bought some, but ran out of rubbing alcohol.....may have to save it to make friendship bracelets or gifts for our mommies (sshh....don't tell!)

 I have so many rainbow and color ideas and keep seeing more and more on different blogs.....I could probably do a whole year of preschool activities on it.   But, I think we will stop this week and save some for next year! Next week, we will be talking about Apples and start writing the letter A!!!

 

Update: here is the final product!

I think they turned out great!  My school-age kids came from school and wanted to make them.....good thing I had pasta left.....they both made one too.  I'm sure you see that I don't have an orange streamer, well only 5 fit on the bottom of the plate and Wal-Mart was out and I didn't have orange on hand.....they still look cute though!

Tracy