How to Dye Pasta for Kids Crafts
Have you ever used colored pasta when teaching your kids?
Dying pasta is very easy and it uses supplies you likely have on hand.
You can use this to create pasta crafts for kids, but also for learning. Pasta is a great manipulates for sorting, counting, developing patterns and more!
Kids also love to create art and other projects using colored pasta.
Let me show you how easy it is to make this. (While you’re here check out all of our activities for kids!)
Supplies:
- 2 c dry pasta shape (we used rigatoni, penne, elbow, wagon wheel and wide egg noodle)
- 3 t rubbing alcohol
- 2 t food color
- ziplock bag
- bowl and whisk, for mixing
- cookie sheet and parchment paper, for drying pasta
Gather up your supplies.
You will need to repeat the first four ingredients for every pasta shape and color you want.
Add 2 c of pasta to a ziplock bag.
In a bowl mix the alcohol and food coloring with a whisk.
Dump the mixture into the bag and seal it.
Swish it around until the pasta is evenly coated.
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Dump the pasta out and let it dry on the cookie sheet.
Look at all of the colors you can make.
This is a great opportunity for your kids to help with measuring, following directions and mixing colors to make new colors.
So many projects and activities for kids await!
Over the next few weeks I will share with you tutorials and ways to use this pasta in learning.
MORE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Here are more activities for kids that encourage play and learning.
- Homemade Bubble RecipeÂ
- Homemade Silly Putty
- Homemade Watercolors
- Homemade Edible Play Dough (using Cookie Butter)Â
- Homemade Calming Play DoughÂ
How to Dye Pasta for Kids Crafts
This is a super easy way to dye pasta any color of your choice!
Materials
- 2 c dry pasta shape
- 3 t rubbing alcohol
- 2 t food color
- ziplock bag
- bowl and whisk, for mixing
- cookie sheet and parchment paper, for drying pasta
Instructions
- A 2 cups of pasta to a large ziplock bag.
- In a separate bowl, mix the alcohol and the food coloring until combined.
- Pour mixture into the bag and seal. Mix the pasta around to evenly coat all pieces.
- Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spread the colored pasta on top of the baking sheet and allow to dry completely.
- Repeat the first four ingredients for each color you choose.
Great tutorial! I love how your colors turned out, they are very vibrant!
Thanks so much Vanessa. We had a lot of fun and it was super simple!
I always wondered how people did that! Thanks, I might have to try it!
Let me know if you give it a try. Michelle!
Does the food coloring rub off the pasta onto your fingers? My son has a food dye allergy and these would be great for crafts, but I’m concerned about the colors sticking to his skin.
No. Once it is dry on the pasta it is set. (Unless it gets wet.)
Love the colors. I am going to do this for my art center. Thanks for sharing!
What a fun art center creation! Can’t wait to hear how your students love it!
I love it! I will have to try this with my very bored kids! Thanks for the idea! Blessings! Visiting from Considering Grace (through WFMW)
This is certainly a boredom buster! So glad you stopped by.
I love this! They are so colorful! When I do it, I skip one of the steps you do. I don’t mix it in the bowl, I just pour everything in the bag and mix it around there. That saves getting a bowl dirty. Then another way to save money is to use newspaper to dry it on. It works perfectly. I’m sure your tips are helping a lot of people.
I just worried about all of the die hitting one place on the pasta since it wouldn’t be mixed….. Do you experience issues with that?
Doing an activity with pasta seems like the staple of kids activities yet it’s not one we’ve done….yet! Thanks for your easy to follow instructions on how to dye pasta, definitely giving this a try!
I totally agree Susen- it really is a childhood staple!
We used dyed pasta for our J is for Jewelry lesson in preschool. The kids had loads of fun!
That sounds super fun Sinea!
Does this work with vinegar instead of rubbing alcohol??
Rosa- I have never tried vinegar, but I bet it would work. Let me know your results if you try it.
If a kid tries to sample a piece, is the rubbing alcohol going to be a big deal??
I would definitely tell them to keep it out of their mouth.
Any idea how long it takes to fully dry? I didn’t buy enough food colouring and have yo run out in the morning to get some before dropping off the final sensory bin to a friend, think it’ll dry in 4 ish hours?
Yes, it will be dry within 4 hours.