Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin

Both of my kids love sensory play! They can spend hours engrossed in a sensory bin, exploring. We made this easy rainbow rice bin to Harper's delight. She had so much fun sorting, threading and mixing the colors up. 

This bin has it all. And I do mean IT ALL. My 5 year old stood with wide eyed wonder before this bin. She adorably said "You made this for me?!" As she dove into the colors of the rainbow. It has colorful rice to touch, fun beads to sort and thread, and a puzzle as an added bonus. It touches on so many fun sensory features and functions too. The best part about it is that I spent less than $2 to make this bin with smart shopping at Dollar Tree. But, for your convenience I am linking to my favorite paint markers on amazon. You want to get these! And if you do from my affiliate link, I will earn a little amazon credit.

Supplies:

A plastic box with a clipping lid

Dyed rice in the colors of the rainbow

Buttons

Beads

Pipe cleaners

Cardboard

Scissors

Paint Markers

A sandbox tool, kitchen spoon or tongs

Directions:

To make the rainbow puzzle:
Cut a rainbow shape from the cardboard; I used a half of an oval shape about 6” long and 4” high.

Cut that cardboard rainbow form into 7 sections. Cut the sections with the shape of the rainbow, so

that they will fit back together. This forms a simple puzzle for little hands to explore.

Color or paint the sections of cut cardboard to represent the colors of the rainbow; red, orange,

yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Set aside.

To form the rainbow rice base:

If you don't want to color the rice you can buy it on amazon

Layer the rice in the colors of the rainbow in the box; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

As you have your rainbow base down begin add beads to the rice base.

Nestle the rainbow puzzle sections into the coordinating color of rice.

Add a pipe cleaner or two.

Add a sandbox tool, kitchen spoon or tongs to offer new ways to explore!

With supervision, invite your child to explore the colors of the rainbow, to thread the beads onto the pipe cleaners and to build the rainbow puzzle. 

When playtime is over, you can snap the lid on the box to store for future play sessions. 

While the children are naturally going to mix the colors together, that is okay! The next time they explore this sensory bin, they can work on their sorting skills!

If you make this bin with your preschoolers send me a picture on facebook.

Don't miss these rainbow craft ideas 

Reader favorites include:

Rainbow Crafts for Kids

Rainbow Coasters

You might also like this In the Sky Sensory Bin.
Find all of my sensory bin ideas here

6 Ways To Keep People Dancing All Night At Your Wedding

On your wedding day and night, you probably want to make sure that all of your guests have the most
amazing time. One way to do that? Keep people dancing all night long! Dancing releases endorphins, and if your guests feel like dancing all night you can pretty much guarantee they’ll have a night that they won’t soon forget. And to capture those unforgettable moments, providing interactive elements like a wedding guest book can further enhance the guest experience, allowing them to leave heartfelt messages and memories for the happy couple to cherish.

Below, you’ll find 6 ways to keep people dancing all night at your wedding. Take a

look:

1. Have A Comfortable Area Where People Can Rest For A While

Although you want your guests to dance all night long, they’ll need a rest at some stage. Make sure you
have a comfortable area where they can rest for a while, and they’ll be able to rest and recuperate before
getting up and busting another move! 

2. Provide Alternative Footwear

This is a great shout, especially for the ladies. You could have some cool colored socks, or flip flops to
give to the women whose feet are hurting them. It always seems like a good idea to wear heels to a
wedding until your feet are killing! This way, they’ll have no excuse not to get up and dance. Plus, they’ll
have a nice little souvenir from the big day. 

Image - PIXABAY

3. Make Sure There’s No Shortage Of Drinks 

The dance floor shouldn’t be too far from the bar, as you’ll have people missing from the floor all night if
this is the case. It could be a good idea to have wait staff bring tea and coffee after dinner to perk
everybody up a little - this is a good idea, especially for those who may be drinking alcohol. Weddings
take up a lot of the day, and people can end up drinking a little too much alcohol. 

4. Choose Your Music Carefully 

For people to dance, you need to have the right kind of music available. This could be a DJ, or you could
choose the best wedding bands Essex has to offer. Whatever you do, make sure you speak with them
beforehand to get a good idea of what they can play and how they get people up on the floor. You’ll want
to discuss the music you like, and anything you definitely don’t want to be played. However, it’s a good
idea to take their advice if they have some, as they have likely seen a lot of weddings before yours! 

5. Show Them How It’s Done 

If you want people to dance, you need to dance too! Show your guests how its done by getting your
groove on. Get people up and in a good mood by coming up with choreography for your first dance as
man and wife. 

6. Make Sure Your Dance Floor Is The Right Size 

If your dance floor is too small, people won’t want to dance. If it’s too big, it’ll look empty no matter what.
Make sure you carefully consider the size of the dance floor when booking the venue. 

Do you have any ideas? Leave a comment!