Activity Overview
Create your own craft supply of colorful beads with three simple ingredients. This is an easy home project that kids can help with and with which they will enjoy many many crafting sessions. For this activity, Ditalini pasta was our pasta of choice because we thought the pasta shape closely resembled the pony beads that we often work with. To create even more vibrant beads consider using gel food coloring rather than regular food coloring, but either will still produce stellar results.
Materials Needed
For Each Color
- 1 cup small scale pasta with a hole in the middle
- 2 Tbsp rubbing alcohol
- 3-4 drops food coloring
- Plastic Baggies with seals
- Parchment Paper
- Baking tray
How to Make Them
- Place 2 Tbsp. of rubbing alcohol and coloring in a sealable plastic bag.
- Seal the bag and shake it to blend the coloring and the alcohol together.
- Add in pasta to the mag of mixture and shake to coat the pasta pieces thoroughly.
- Drain off excess liquid and blot gently with a paper towel.
- Place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and allow to dry overnight.
- Repeat the same process above with each color that you desire.
- Store in clean and dry sealable baggies or plastic containers for each color.
