Food and play is a hot topic on the internet right now.  So much so that I almost didn’t post our recent rainbow spaghetti play.  Then, I read Tinkerlab’s awesome post about using food in preschool sensory activities  and I decided it is something I feel comfortable with.  I appreciate and respect everyone’s right to decide for themselves what works and what doesn’t.  A few weeks back I made rainbow spaghetti and meatballs for play group and the kids just loved it.  They were engaged, playful, imaginative and exploratory and that is something I am definitely comfortable with.

I started off with a big tub of mixed rainbow spaghetti and a few blue play dough meatballs in a big tub.  It looked so beautiful and inviting I just wanted to jump right in.  Here is our recipe for how to make rainbow spaghetti and here is our recipe for play dough.

The kids immediately gravitated to the spaghetti.  Some put it right in their mouths, while others took a big handful and moved it from bucket to bucket.  I handed out spoons and bowls to go with the spaghetti.  The older kids, ages 3 and 4, created whole stories around the spaghetti as if they were in a restaurant.  There was pretend tasting, scooping, sharing and chatting up a storm.  It was a pleasure to watch.

The play went on for some time, as kids included their parents and made huge plates of the spaghetti and meatballs.  I’ve done rainbow spaghetti sensory play several times before.  I have to say, the blue play dough meatballs added a unique touch that brought out the imagination in the kids.  To check out more fun sensory play activities for kids you can check out this pinterest board.  It has a bunch of great ideas.  You can also click the image at the very bottom for an awesome ebook of amazing sensory play ideas for zero to two year olds.  Happy Summer everyone!