New Series: Playing Through Autumn + Autumn Rainbow Rice

Autumn is my absolute FAVORITE season. It is such a feast for the senses - all the beautiful colors, the rich scents and flavors, the crisp air and the crunch of leaves. I am absolutely ecstatic to share all the wonders of the season with L this year (hard to believe she was barely walking at this time last year!). So I bring to you (with an abundance of pride and enthusiasm) our new series, Playing Through Autumn. Packed full of activities and experiences for really sharing the joys of autumn with all the wee ones in your life, it promises to be a pumpkin-flavored, orange-tinted, crisp breeze-filled adventure! Join us, won't you?

Playing Through Autumn {Day 1}: Rainbow Rice with an Autumn Flair!

For anyone who has been reading our adventures here, you know that I am a huge fan of sensory activities. One of L's favorite sensory materials is rainbow rice, which is super easy to make and so much fun! You simply put uncooked rice into a small Ziploc bag, add a glug or two of rubbing alcohol (it makes the colors really vibrant and helps the rice to dry quickly) and enough food coloring to get the color and brightness you desire and voila - instant sensory material! Just shake the bag to coat the rice evenly in the color and lay on waxed paper to dry.

For our autumn tub, I decided to go with orange, yellow, and red rice. Although most of the trees in our area are still green, I have begun hinting to L at the changes that will soon be upon us. 

For this particular sensory tub, I decided to add bowls, cups, and measuring cups - perfect for scooping and pouring. Now I can easily engage L in some conversation about all of the beautiful colors we'll soon be seeing, while she is happily engaged in one of her favorite activities.

There's more to come! Stick with us for many more engaging and creative autumn activities in the coming days and weeks!