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May 12, 2011 | 22 Comments

Butterfly Sensory Tub Activity

sensory tub activityI love what we call butterfly pasta. Not only does my son eat it well, he plays with it well too.  We made this ages ago but between Easter and Mother’s Day crafts it got lost in the shuffle. As we pulled it out to play with it again I remembered I never posted this sensory tub activity. Although I didn’t photograph it I popped some of these butterflies into a clear Take and Toss sippy cup through a lid on it and my daughter has been using it as a shaker for weeks. So many uses!

Sensory Tub Activity

  1. Gather your materials. You will need some bowtie (butterfly) pasta, food coloring, vinegar, ziploc bags, cookie sheets, a medium sized plastic tub, scoops, a divided tray and play tongs. You can also through in some penne pasta as “Caterpillars”.
  2. Start by putting a few drops of your favorite food coloring into a ziploc.
  3. Add 1 tbsp of white vinegar.
  4. Throw in a few handfuls of pasta. Shake until all the liquid is gone.
  5. Pour out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to dry. The vinegar smell will lessen in time, even if it’s strong initially in a day or two it will be all but gone.
  6. Make multiple colors.
  7. Pour dry dyed pasta into a bin with scoops for little ones to explore, add penne pasta as caterpillars.
  8. Using a divided tray you can sort the pasta by color using tongs.

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If you like this circle time activity, you will love the ideas and circle time lessons I share in Little School my ebook of preschool activities.

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Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Bugs, Butterfly, Sensory Activities, Sensory Tubs | 22 Comments

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22 Comments

  1. Jenae {I Can Teach My Child!} says

    May 12, 2011 at 5:46 am

    We just got our caterpillars in the mail yesterday! This would be perfect!

    to Jenae {I Can Teach My Child!}" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jenae {I Can Teach My Child!}'>reply to this comment
  2. Christie Jarvis says

    May 12, 2011 at 7:13 am

    Love this! It will be a perfect addition for my preschoolers to do for our butterfly study next week. Thank you!

    to Christie Jarvis" aria-label='reply to this comment to Christie Jarvis'>reply to this comment
  3. jen says

    May 12, 2011 at 10:36 am

    this is probably a “duh” kind of question…but is the pasta cooked before it goes in the coloring?

    to jen" aria-label='reply to this comment to jen'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      May 12, 2011 at 12:44 pm

      not a duh question at all – no it’s uncooked. I will edit so it’s clear for others too!

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  4. Creative Play Plus says

    May 12, 2011 at 10:43 am

    Very creative! This sensory activity is also great for color and shape recognition for little ones. The pasta shapes make the butterfly sensory tub easy to put together and a breeze to clean up!

    Playful Project Mom Cindy added a little twist to her sensory tub. Both are great for developing fine motor skills and cooperation.
    http://www.creativeplayplus.com/2011/03/11/heres-the-scoop-creative-play-date-activity-idea/

    to Creative Play Plus" aria-label='reply to this comment to Creative Play Plus'>reply to this comment
  5. Kristi says

    May 12, 2011 at 2:20 pm

    does the food coloring come off on their little hands??

    to Kristi" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kristi'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      May 12, 2011 at 3:39 pm

      nope not once it’s dry!

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  6. Rebecca says

    May 12, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Love the colors!!

    to Rebecca" aria-label='reply to this comment to Rebecca'>reply to this comment
  7. Rebe says

    May 12, 2011 at 5:33 pm

    I love this and we will probably do it tomorrow as a fun friday activity!

    Hand sanitizer works great in place of rubbing alchol! The pasta dries within 10-15 minutes, if it even takes that long.

    to Rebe" aria-label='reply to this comment to Rebe'>reply to this comment
  8. Sharon says

    May 12, 2011 at 8:32 pm

    Where do you find play tongs? I’ve never come across them.

    to Sharon" aria-label='reply to this comment to Sharon'>reply to this comment
  9. Lindsey Redfern, therhouse.blogspot.com says

    May 15, 2011 at 5:52 pm

    This is a fab idea! I am all over this with my boys this week. I second need to know where to get those tongs! I need two sets.

    to Lindsey Redfern, therhouse.blogspot.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to Lindsey Redfern, therhouse.blogspot.com'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      May 15, 2011 at 6:07 pm

      I thought I posted a link – so sorry here : Hog Wild Zoo Sticks – Toucan
      there are all sorts just search “hog wild chopsticks” .

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  10. Lily says

    February 23, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    what age is this safe for?

    to Lily" aria-label='reply to this comment to Lily'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      February 23, 2012 at 2:21 pm

      Don’t pay attention to age, pay attention to the kids – my daughter who is 20 months loves these and generally keeps them out of her mouth but I wouldn’t be comfy doing it with a group of toddlers who I can’t watch like a hawk. Young toddlers are better off with smaller things like rice or cornmeal or small pasta that they may mouth but they will also spit out. My daughter loves lentils- never eats them either. How old is your child, are you worried about them eating it?

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  11. Martha says

    May 31, 2012 at 5:15 pm

    My daughter loved this we have our ‘bugs’ drying right now we used small shell noodles, elbow noodles, and butterfly ones.

    to Martha" aria-label='reply to this comment to Martha'>reply to this comment
  12. Sue says

    May 14, 2015 at 7:40 am

    We have tried dying pasta recently and the food colouring has changed to everything natural and doesn’t seem to dye as well for things like pasta and even play dough!! Any updates?

    to Sue" aria-label='reply to this comment to Sue'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      May 15, 2015 at 12:04 am

      These aren’t natural at all – the natural dye isn’t as vibrant but another option is liquid water colors.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

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