If your child loves necklaces, this DIY rainbow necklace made from dyed pasta is sure to please. It’s a great St. Patrick’s Day craft for exploring colors and fine-motor skills with little ones.
Last St. Patrick’s Day, my toddler wasn’t so into crafting, so we settled for an edible sensory bin made from JELLO. It was a great activity for sensory stimulation that was a little messier than expected.
I decided that a pasta necklace was in order, because he seemed to be fascinated (i.e. ready to yank off) every piece of jewelry I would occasionally wear. Thought it would be fun for him to have his own this time.
Read More: 21+ St. Patrick’s Day Crafts, Activities & Treats for Kids
To make the rainbow pasta I used several drops of liquid water color diluted with about a cup of water. Keep in mind the more dye you use, the darker and more vibrant the colors will be. I also used a teaspoon of vinegar in each color to allow the colors to absorb to the pasta quicker.
I set the colors aside for several hours and then lay out to dry for another hour or two.
Help your child loop the pieces of pasta through the yarn. This activity is a great way for them to practice those fine-motor skills. It may take a few tries, but it’s amazing what a determined toddler can produce.
You can also practice colors like we did, by following a rainbow pattern. We started with red – yellow – green – blue and practice that pattern throughout.
For the centerpiece, I cut out a shamrock pattern from card stock and covered it with Mod Podge since it holds better than glue, and then sprinkled with glitter.
Poke a hole through the center and loop through the yarn. We added a Cheerio here to help keep the shamrock in place upon my toddler’s request ;).
Help your child finish adding the pasta and tie a double knot when complete.
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Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.
I had no idea you could dye pasta like that! So cool!!
Lauren recently posted…Have Fun & Get Geeky with Geek Fuel!
What a fun activity to do with the kids. Would love if you shared this on the Merry Monday Link Party and Spring Craft Blog Hop.
Erlene recently posted…St. Patrick’s Day Budget Decorating Tips for the Non-crafty
Gorgeous necklace! You could use a different variation of this for a Mother’s Day gift too. 🙂
Lovely idea. Thanks for linking to #frugalfamilylinky
Nicola recently posted…Family Frugal Linky – Thursday 26 February 2015
This is a awesome craft for a snow or rainy day, my kids would love making this, they can get pretty creative when it comes to things like this.
Glitter + Glue + Color Die = perfect craft for my kids! You’ll be featured on Good Tips Tuesday this week!!
Marlene @ A Diligent Heart recently posted…Elementary Science Learning Activity Box
Awesome. Thanks so much!!
What a fun idea for little ones! So cute!
Jennifer Dawn recently posted…A Little Bird Told Me Link Party #130