I have done a lot of fun activities with kids over the years but this might have been my absolute fav. Oh my goodness. This was so much fun! I talked about the first half of our play group here. This was part two, which happened after we snacked a little bit. I had all the kids and parents stand to one side and I slowly poured different color spaghetti in rainbow on a big tarp. This may have been my favorite moment, watching everyones faces, kids and adults, as I poured out the spaghetti. I wish I had it on video. Gigi was practically jumping out of her skin to get in there. Everyone else was just staring totally mesmerized. Priceless moment. I had made ten boxes of spaghetti and dyed a large ziploc bag worth for each color. It was time consuming but pretty easy. Just put spaghetti in a ziploc, add water and food coloring, seal and swoosh around. Then drain the water. *Note* Add oil to the spaghetti so it doesn’t stick. The colors are really vibrant and of course, the more food coloring you use, the brighter it gets.
Little d had a blast. She literally ate spaghetti for 45 minutes. That girl cracks me up. The older kids mooshed it around, walked in it, used the spaghetti as a slip and slide and poured it into buckets. Every child had their own amazing experience with the spaghetti. It was so great to see the ones who were hesitant at first make their way over and get involved. Not to mention it looked absolutely beautiful.
The clean up wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought either. We gathered all the spaghetti in the tarp and poured it into a box. And then these two had a field day in their very own spaghetti boat. So much fun. Any spaghetti that was left on the grass just dried up in the sun and sort of became compost. Either that or our dog Billie ate it.
I can’t recommend this activity enough. You don’t have to go crazy with ten boxes. Maybe try one box and set it out in a bowl or a large tub. Or you can put it in the bath with the drain in. If you’re into no mess at all, you can put it in a plastic ziploc sealed with duct tape and let your child mush it around, like this. Whatever you decide, have fun!
how fun!! the little ones seemed like they were in heaven!1
This looks amazingly fun. Mary you are great! Xx Lena
Thanks Lena! xoxo
Hi
I am planning on doing this for my daughters first b-day using 6 kg’s of spaghetti. How much was in the boxes you used?
Tx
Hi Jo-Anne. That will be so much fun! The boxes here have 16 oz. of spaghetti. I made about ten boxes. I figure the more the merrier. It took a while but was well worth it. Have a fantastic birthday party!
I did this today for my first playgroup ever. So much fun! We did a pound of spaghetti per kid. We had all ages there, because really, when do you outgrow playing with spaghetti?
Woo hoo!!! How fun! So glad to hear it was a success. And no, we never outgrow rainbow spaghetti.
Do you cook the spaghetti in colored water or just let it sit in the zip lock (with colored water) until it soaks it up?
I have been stained by food coloring. Was it the brand or does it only stain when it goes straight onto the skin?
Hi Dahlia, you cook the spaghetti first regular style and then put it in individual bags with the desired color and water. It will soak it up. In my experience food coloring stains at first on the skin but then comes off in the bath or shower. It won’t last on your skin even when it looks really dark, which the red and green do especially. If it’s just on the spaghetti it won’t stain : ) I use the brand from the super market. Not sure what it’s called and I don’t have any at the moment to look. It’s in a yellow box.
Hi! I might be slow but I’m confused by your rainbow spaghetti recipie. can you consolidate the recipie here for me? So first cook spaghetti? And then put in bag with water and food dye? How much water do you use with dye in cooked spaghetti? Thanks! Looks like fun, can’t wait to try.
Hi Liz, sorry for the late reply. You cook the spaghetti first regularly. Second, take some spaghetti and put it in a ziploc bag. Add some water, maybe a cup or so. It doesn’t have to be exact at all. Add food coloring. Seal the bag. Let sit overnight or for a few hours in the fridge. Repeat for other colors. Does that make sense? When you play with the spaghetti just make sure it’s not cold. Let it sit out for a bit. Have fun!
Hi Meri!
I recently discovered your blog and am obsessed with it. I love how your ideas are filled with whimsy, imagination, and if I was a kid I would just think you were magical. I am not a mother, but a nanny and a casual painter and I love “my” children. I’m always looking for great process and sensory art for the little ones and your web site has been an amazing resource. You’ve even inspired me to look into starting my own art play group!
I would love any recommendations/advice/resources you’d suggest for starting a similar group to yours!
Yay! That’s great. So glad you found me. Here’s some info about play group. Not sure if you saw this post. I highly recommend the Artful Parent’s book. There is a link in the post. Have fun and thank you for your kind words! http://www.mericherry.com/2015/06/30/toddler-play-group-101/