How to Dye Pasta With Food Coloring in Baggies

Use food coloring to transform plain pasta into colorful little bits.

Pasta isn't just good for an inexpensive and delicious meal; it's also handy for a variety of craft and educational activities. Dye different types of pasta a variety of colors using plastic zipper bags, food coloring and rubbing alcohol to make crafting and learning more vibrant for young children. Children can then use the colorful little bits to learn counting, sorting and simple math, as well as to create their own jewelry or any number of other craft projects.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic zipper bags
• Rubbing alcohol
• Measuring cups
• Food coloring
• Dry pasta
• Cookie sheets
• Paper towels

Instructions

1. Lay out one plastic zipper bag for each color of pasta you want to make.

2. Measure and pour 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol in each zipper bag.

3. Add 10 drops of food coloring into each zipper bag, putting a different color of food coloring in each bag. Add five drops of one color and five of a second if mixing food coloring to create a color. For instance, mix red and blue to make purple.

4. Close each bag and shake it a few times to mix the alcohol and coloring.

5. Measure and pour 1 cup of pasta into each zipper bag. Carefully shake the bags to coat the pasta with the liquid.

6. Let the bags sit for two hours, flipping them over every half hour.

7. Drain the coloring and alcohol mixture from each bag. Pour the pasta out onto paper towel-lined cookie sheets. Keep the different colors of pasta separated on the cookie sheets so the colors don't mix while the pasta dries.

8. Let the pasta dry for 24 hours before storing in fresh zipper bags.

Tips & Warnings

• Leave the pasta in the baggies for longer than two hours for pasta with a richer shade. Remove the pasta from the baggies sooner for a lighter-tinted pasta.

• Dye different types of pasta different colors to create a game for a young child. The child can sort the pasta by color or shape.

• Get children excited about math by using colored pasta to count and complete simple math problems like addition and subtraction.

• Use the homemade colored pasta for a number of different craft projects. String the pasta on yarn to make homemade jewelry, glue it to a picture frame or use the small colored bits to create a design on a piece of construction paper.

• Fill a plastic tub with dyed pasta. Provide cups and spoons for digging through the tub of pasta for a colorful sensory activity.

• Wear latex or rubber gloves while dying the pasta to avoid staining your hands.

References

• Many Little Blessings: How to Dye Pasta for Kids Crafts
• Teaching Tiny Tots: Toddler Math: Hands on Fun with Colored Pasta