One of my favorite activities for toddlers is the age old sensory play. Young children love to feel different textures running through their fingers and can play for hours at a sand table or with a simple bin of rice. Rolled Oats make for a great addition to sensory play, being very unlike most grains or materials normally used, and these color oats have the added fun of bright and cheerful hues. Make sure you use old fashioned oats and not quick oats for this activity. These also make great art supplies! Allow kids to drizzle glue onto paper and sprinkle oats to make fun designs!

Difficulty level: Easy
Time required: 5 minutes plus dry time

Things you’ll need:
Old Fashioned Oats
Food Coloring
Bowl and Spoon
Water
Paper Towels
Plates or Trays

Things to do:
1. Place about 2 tablespoons of water into the bowl and add several drops of food coloring to it. You’ll want the color to be pretty intense so be generous with your coloring.


2. Stir the water to evenly distribute the color.

3. Pour in a heaping cup of dry oats and toss carefully to distribute the colors all over the oats. You want the oats to be just barely damp, only enough to spread the color, and not sopping, so add more oats or water as needed.

4. Once all the oats are well colored, dump them onto a paper towel lined plate or tray and spread them into a thin layer.

5. Set the plate in a warm, sunny spot to dry thoroughly before allowing kids to play. Repeat with other colors and mix together for a rainbow effect or keep separate as desired.