I know tomorrow is Valentine’s Day but my mind is already planning St.Patrick’s Day. If you need a Valentine’s Day craft idea we have those too but I had to share this because it was too much fun to keep to ourselves any longer. The major bonus of this project was that for toddlers who are putting everything in their mouths it’s no biggy if they take a bite. I added koolaid to make it smell great and sour to discourage eating it. This must be kept in the fridge so make some , you won’t regret it.
- Gather your materials. I used 6 foil pans I had on hand but any container will work to set the gelatin, you will need plain gelatin packets 4 per color, food color, spoons, a pot, measuring cups and koolaid for scent/added color. Also a big tub and some bath toys for playing.

- Start by mixing your colors. I used koolaid mostly for scent but also for color.

- Make the gelatin. I used the recipe on the back of the knox gelatin box adjusting it to 1/2 as much liquid ( 1/2 cup of cool and 1 cup hot and 4 envelopes of gelatin) as the recipe called for to make it thicker for play using plain water with color/ koolaid in it. I made all 6 colors.

- Let cool – I had to stack them in my fridge so I popped a few in the freezer for a minute to stiffen and totally forgot about this purple one… if froze, and was unusable. The kids didn’t miss it at all.

- When set slice into pieces. I used a knife then scraped it into the tub using a spatula.


- Add kids and toys.
He was so excited he was bouncing, this is the best picture of many very blurry bouncy pictures I took.
- You can probably tell we did this in our bathroom, please find a place where tiny bits of color won’t ruin anything. The gelatin won’t stain hands but can be absorbed into clothes and other fabrics. Please go somewhere where kids can have fun without you hovering and you won’t have to search for stain removers on Pinterest after this project. Our bathroom was perfect, I had a damp cloth handy for little bits that got shaken off hands or toys and flung all over. It also had a door to stop kids from running into the rest of the house before hands were washed. All this said it was still completely worth it.
- They stuck them on the side of the tub.

- Smelled it.

- Tasted it ( love my son’s face, he’s telling her not to eat it).

- Mixed them all up and had a blast.



















Oh wow! This looks like so much fun! Our bathrooms are not really big enough for playtime though, so I think I’ll hold off on this until it’s warm enough to play outside!
I love Rainbows!! I have been working on a different kind of Jello idea – but haven’t finished it yet!
This looks like SO MUCH FUN! I love rainbow activities. My kiddos would love this!! Great idea and such cute pictures too!
This looks like such a fun experience for the senses! We are working on color words right now using a Paper Bag Book and this will be a perfect addition, especially since it’s in another language. I linked it up to my post for others too! http://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/02/afterschool-express-colorful-heart-fun.html
Great idea! We wil have to plan to do this soon after Valentine’s Day
Great idea! I just pinned it!
This looks like gooey fun!
[...] Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub – 1 freebie(s)? [...]
Just wanted to say that I’ve done play with regular sugared jello and I don’t think that it was that much of a mess. We made shapes, stacked, stuck and everything else that you did and the clean up was fine. Can’t wait to do it again!
[...] to see the fun and learning that we shared this week than ever before. The first big hit was our Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub and the second was yesterday’s 75 TV Free Activities For Toddlers. But enough about us, [...]
[...] Pom Rainbow Wreath Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub Color Wheel Match Scrap Paper Rainbow Rainbow Color Match Trash Rainbow Collage Rainbow Discovery [...]
This is sooo amazing! I love it! Can’t wait to do this with our triplets!
[...] to do with your kids for Saint Patrick’s Day? Check out this fun rainbow gelatin activity! http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/02/rainbow-gelatin-sensory-tub.html Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]
[...] that allow the kids to utilize their senses and so when I saw a Rainbow Gelatin Sensory tub over at No Time for Flash Cards I was in love! This project was awesome but in order to really have fun, it will become extremely [...]
Super fun!
[...] up some colorful Rainbow Jello from No Time For Flashcards Hide Snakes in Jello with The Imagination Tree Make a fun, [...]
I think my kids would thoroughly enjoy this. How many boxes of gelatin did you use for all six colors–one or one per color or somewhere in between?
I used 2 packets per color ( with 1 1/2 cups of liquid in each).
[...] Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub from No Time for Flashcards [...]
[...] Rubber Duck Stamping Who Do You Love Sensory Tub Glass Sponge Painting Animal Track Painting Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub Bug Painting Touch Box DIY Board Book About Feelings Playdough Toy Prints Baby Basketball [...]
I have several boxes of sugar free jello I’m going to try this with today. I also have a box of knox gelatin packs. Maybe I could do red, blue and clear (or white) for the 4th of July.
[...] “soft”, and 2 colors didn’t really hold interest. So I found a great post on No Time For Flashcards and that night I made 6 8×8 pans of jello according to the jiggler recipe. Cut up and [...]
[...] Cream Taste Test Salt Art Yogurt Painting Wormy Dirt Treats Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub Emotional Snowmen Ice Cream Cone Witches Hat Heart Shaped Pizza Marshmallow Structures Letter C [...]
Hi! I think my son will love this! We love all things rainbow! I was just wondering, how do you store this or is it a one time use only? Love it and looking forward to making this!
We stored it in the fridge for almost a week but it got a little gross after that.
[...] Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub Sandpaper Sun Shaving Cream Puffy Paint Projects Texture Sorting Touch Box Guessing Game Touch [...]
[...] Rubber Duck Stamping Who Do You Love Sensory Tub Glass Sponge Painting Animal Track Painting Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub Bug Painting Touch Box DIY Board Book About Feelings Playdough Toy Prints Baby Basketball [...]
Thanks for sharing your fun idea! We did this on Valentine’s Day and have a few pictures here…
http://teamrinntx.blogspot.com/2013/02/fun-in-tub-with-colored-gelatin.html
Love your blog!
Hi! Please forgive this question if I missed it somewhere in the post…but I am unfamiliar with the gelatin packs…so it sounds like they come in a box just like the jello, but how many boxes/packets do I need? Thank you! So excited to have found this AMAZING site.
I can’t believe I never had the full recipe – I used 4 envelopes of plain knox gelatin per color with 1/2 cool liquid and 1 cup of hot. I used koolaid to scent and color it.
[...] Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub from No Time for Flash Cards [...]
What an awesome idea for St. Patrick’s Day! I featured your post and photo in my 40+ St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Tubs at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2013/03/11/montessori-monday-40-plus-st-patricks-day-sensory-tubs/