Stringing beads is a fun way to give boredom the boot. And most preschoolers, both girls and boys, enjoy taking a crack at it. Beyond fueling creativity, beading also has another trick up its sleeve: it helps young kids practice patterning, or sequencing, which lays the groundwork for math, reading, and science. You can buy a sack of beads at any craft store. But this is an inexpensive ways for kids to make their own beads, from scratch.
Steps
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Scoop one cup of uncooked pasta into each of the bowls. The pasta should all be of the same type.
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Add a few drops of food coloring (using a different color for each bowl) to each. Stir. Keep adding a few drops at a time until the pasta begins to change color.
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Add ¾ tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and stir until evenly coated.
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Transfer the colored pasta to a cookie sheet lined with wax paper (or aluminum foil) and let it dry overnight.
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Once the pasta is dry, it’s ready for beading. Cut a piece of yarn into the appropriate length for your child’s necklace or bracelet, wrap a piece of masking tape around one end to make stringing easier, knot the other end, and set them to work!
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Finished.
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Things You'll Need
- 3 cups of uncooked pasta with holes (use just one type: penne, rigatoni, macaroni, etc.)
- Food coloring in 3 different colors
- 3 bowls
- A measuring cup
- Rubbing alcohol, quarter tablespoon
- Baking sheet
- Wax paper
- A spoon for mixing
- Yarn
- Scissors
- Masking tape
