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My kids love making rainbows and it’s even better in their eyes if said rainbow making includes a sensory aspect which usually requires me to clean a bunch of mess after their fun. This week I got one up on the mess and went with a rainbow in a bag that is MESS FREE!!
I’m smiling, oh we’re smiling.
Rainbow in a Bag!
I had a bit of a problem with my paint collection as I didn’t have all the rainbow color paints for this activity! But i’m resourceful and since I have food coloring in the right colors I went ahead and made my own batch of paint.
The recipe is very similar to my Homemade Finger Paint Recipe except it is a small amount. So if you need more than 4 bags of rainbows I suggest you make that recipe.
How To Make It
Gather your ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups water
- tablespoon of salt
Whisk all these ingredients in a pot and then add to a low heat on the stove. Continue slowly whisking until a smooth substance starts to form. It is between the mix being watery and solid.
Scoop a heaped tablespoon of the mix into 7 bowls to make rainbow colors. Use your food coloring in each bowl to get the desired color. I have used these water colors to get my results. More coloring = more vivid results. I have 20+ drops in each.
Other supplies you will need for this activity:
- Large resealable plastic zip bags
- cardstock
- tape / painters tape
Trim your cardstock to fit into your plastic zip bag. You will be folding the top of the bag over so make sure that the cardstock fits the width. Add a heaped teaspoon of paint into the zip bag by holding the plastic away so you don’t mess on it. See image below.
Press down on the plastic to help the paint off the teaspoon.
Once you have all your colors lined up close the seal on the bag and fold over the extra bag space.
Tape down the plastic bag’s seal with either clear tape, painters tape or anything you have that will easily remove yet keep your zip bag in place.
Time To Play
Ask your child if they would like to create a rainbow! They will start pushing the paint across the canvass bit by bit to create their rainbows.
Some of the colors will mix but that is ok it still looks stunning and regardless it’s a ton of mess free fun!
Even my 15 month old had a go at a rainbow bag. I had a hard time taking a picture of her she was very enthusiastic about it.
BUT! I did manage to get a little video. Watch it below.
Once you have a rainbow all over your page the kids are now able to make drawings and patterns!
Use fingers or even earbuds to create pictures, shapes, letters or numbers in the paint.
Or just have fun making random squiggles.
A great idea since this is a contained item is to leave it on the table for the day. The kids will come back time after time to doodle on it.
I hope your children have as much fun as mine did with this rainbow in a bag!
If you have any left over paints you can try the following:
Pin this activity for later!
MORE awesome rainbow in-a-bag activities for kids!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Rainbow in a Bag – No Mess Art // Powerful Mothering
Rainbow Letters Race to the Top // Stay at Home Educator
Color and Shape Match Up // Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Stack a Stone Rainbow // Adventures of Adam
Rainbow Pasta Threading // Play and Learn Everyday
Rainbow Tinker Tray // Still Playing School
How to Flip a Rainbow | Simple Science for Kids // Lemon Lime Adventures
Rainbow Sun Craft // Fairy Poppins
Rainbow Pencil Control Exercises // Sugar Aunts
Beginning Sound Rainbows // Playdough to Plato
DIY Rainbow Crayon Names // Pre-K Pages
Even More Rainbow Activities
Rainbow Puzzle Skip Counting // Creative Inclusion
Rainbow Bear Color Matching Game // Life Over Cs
Rainbow Marble Painting Process Art // Preschool Inspirations
DIY Paper Plate Loom: Rainbow Yarn Art // Sugar Spice and Glitter
Rainbow Sight Words // The Kindergarten Connection
Rainbow Math with a DIY Abacus // Fun-a-Day
Rainbow Fact Family Board Game // Liz’s Early Learning Spot
Simple Rainbow Sensory Bottle for Kids // Coffee Cups and Crayons
Rainbow Paint Chip Color Match // Modern Preschool
Roll a Rainbow // The STEM Laboratory
(Not Shown) Rainbow Perler Bead Key Ring // Teach Me Mommy
stephany says
awesome!
Josie says
Did you use cardstock or canvas for the rainbow bags
Nicolette Roux says
these are cardstock
Nancy Sawyer says
Hello, Your recipe of 1 C flour and two cups water, how may bags would that make? I’ve got a big crowd in my preschool room. Thanks so much.
Nicolette Roux says
the recipe made 2-3 bags depending on how much you added in each bag.
Liz says
How long will this last? Could it be made a day ahead to use in my classroom?
Nicolette Roux says
yes the day before would work well 🙂
Angel says
Agree, looking for an alternative recipe that doesn’t require a stove! Thanks!
Jamie says
Anyone have a recipe for this that doesn’t require a stove? Thanks!
Nicolette Roux says
Use normal paint, watered down a bit if its too thick
Ellen @ Cutting Tiny Bites says
Beautiful AND mess free. It’s a win-win!
Bàrbara says
very nice