Rice Play Box

Recently I saw a tot play idea that I knew would be great for the chilly and wet days that will soon be upon us -- an indoor "sandbox" with colored rice from the Share & Remember blog.  Eli loves his outdoor sandbox so much that he's been known to happily sit there solo for well over an hour at a time.  And the play is sensory, open-ended, and creative.  Yes, please!

Granted, a box full of plain rice would be fun and more nature-oriented.  But if color and a crafty project appeals to you, tinting the rice is quite easy.  On the first full rainy day of autumn, Little Guy and I went in search of supplies.  Here's what we used:

• Plastic Storage Box -- I purchased a 25-quart Sterilite bin ($7.77) that is translucent so there's good light inside and we can find toys that sink to the bottom.  It latches shut, which may prevent spills.  I wanted one that is wide enough to provide a large play area and has sides shallow enough for my toddler's arms to easily reach over.
• Rice -- I used three 4-pound bags of long grain rice ($2.78 each).  I think, however, that two bags would work just fine.  In my shopping, I discovered rice is sold in several grocery sections -- near the pasta, with the Asian foods, and with the Mexican foods.  Despite the fact that the rice was all grown in the same place according to the bag labels, it was far cheaper in the Mexican section.  
• Liquid Food Colors -- I found ours at the dollar store.  I used about a half teaspoon of dye concentrate per color so each shade of rice would be vivid.
• Isopropyl/Rubbing Alcohol -- I used 24 tablespoons for the project.  That equals about 1 and 1/2 cups or 12 ounces.  
• Gallon Zipper Bag -- Find one with a strong seal!  We used the same zipper bag for every batch.  You don't have to wash it out between colors as the residue will blend in with the next color.  

This project is a little stinky because of the alcohol, so pick a warm day when you can work outside or open lots of windows.  (Open windows were fine for us.)  Pour about two pounds of rice into the zipper bag.  Squirt desired amount of food coloring into 4 tablespoons of the alcohol and then pour it over the rice.  Seal bag and carefully squish/shake until coloring is well distributed.  

  

So it can dry, pour colored rice into a large casserole dish, sheet cake pan, or other flat container with sides.  To speed the drying process, use metal or glass pans that you can place in a warm oven.  Make sure the temperature is only warm; you don't want to toast the rice.  Stir whenever the rice looks dry on the surface.  When it is dry all the way through the pan, you're done!  I was able to get all twelve pounds of rice into the oven at once and it dried in a little over an hour.

 

When rice is completely dry, combine all the colors in your storage box.  At first, the rice was in mounds of color.  It reminded me of the Many Colored Desert in Micheal Ende's classic book The Neverending Story.

 

Soon Little Guy was happily playing...

    

 

So what can you do with a rice box?

• The Share & Remember blog used their rice box to set up a play gardening set complete with silk flowers, pots, and gardening tools.  Some toy root veggies would be fun too.  If we're still playing with this when Eli is older, I'd love to show him pictures of Japanese Zen rock gardens then give him some river stones and a small rake.
• Simply pouring and scooping is lots of fun.  We went through Eli's toy kitchen to try out various mini pots, pans, pitchers, bowls, funnels, spoons, etc.  We pile rice-filled containers in towers that are fun to topple.  Eli also loves to "cook" with the rice and his kitchen gear.
• The grains feel really nice between the fingers.  It is easy to turn the rice box into a classic sensory box by adding contrasting textures, sizes, or colors.  (A web search for "sensory box" nets a lot of ideas.)  
• While Eli was napping, I hid some surprises down in the rice.  They were just some objects from birthday party goody bags and nature objects, but he loved digging and sifting until he found all ten.  He often giggled when his fingers discovered some odd shape he couldn't yet see.
• We had fun pouring the grains over different types of containers to hear the sounds.  The tin measuring cup and steel cream pitcher we got at the thrift store sound like tiny bells while our wooden bowl pings!  Plastic eggs, jars and tubs with lids, or other containers can be used to make shakers.
• The rice box makes a nice mini world.  Eli plays with his small construction equipment toys but also Duplo Lego figures and his thumb-sized gnomes.  All that rice becomes dirt, hills, and valleys.

 

Obviously, a huge bin of rice has a big mess potential.  I do store the box high out of reach and only pull it out when I can supervise.  But Eli and I talked about keeping the rice inside the box and so far we haven't had much trouble.  The few grains that get out are easy to sweep up.  Although the rice is colorfast, it does have some dust in it, so I have to rinse the toys when he's done.  For that reason, we've started keeping a selection of toys in the box.  

I've made Eli quite a few homemade toys, but so far he has loved this one best.  He wants to play with it constantly.  Perhaps because I lived in poverty-striken Haiti one summer, I felt a little guilty using so much rice on a toy.  But I think we'll get an awful lot of use out of it and it is a renewable resource.

Comments

[Amy]

This is genius. I had to pin it. Pretty sure I will be making one as the weather gets colder here. Thanks for sharing!!

[Valerie J. Frey]

Thanks, Amy! Eli asks to play in his rice box every day without fail. He loves it.

[Gina]

Is there a colored residue left on their hands?

[Valerie J. Frey]

Hi, Gina. Nope! There probably would be if your child touched the rice before it dries, but once it is dry that doesn't happen. If the box is closed for a while, there is an alcohol smell and there is some rice dust, but otherwise it is really clean.