Fourth of July &quot;Stars and Stripes&quot; Sensory Bin

Fourth of July "Stars and Stripes" Sensory Bin made from dyed pasta. Fun for toddlers and preschoolers for Independence Day.

My girls love a good box of stuff to play with! I made a batch of colored pasta over 3 years ago, and Maggie and Lena have played with it endlessly. We've also used it to make necklaces, collages, and other craft projects. Since that batch of pasta had seen better days, it was time for some new colored noodles. I decided to make them in patriotic colors and to turn them into a "Stars & Stripes" Sensory Bin for the Fourth of July as part of our Independence Day Theme Preschool Week.

Here's how to make your own!

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I bought 2 1 lb. boxes of pasta to be stripes - rigatoni and ziti. I dyed half of each box red, using this tutorial from Buggy and Buddy.

I also bought 1 lb. of farfalle and 1 lb. of stelline (tiny stars) to be our stars. I dyed half of each package blue.

Next, arrange your pasta in a plastic tub!

I added other goodies for the girls to play with as well. I added sparkly star "table scatter" from a craft store, star buttons, and a separate small bowl of stelline. I also set out several divided trays, some chopsticks and tongs, spoons, and measuring cups.

Let your kids play! Mine went straight for the sparkle.

Then Lena put noodles between her toes. Sorry if you think this picture is icky! Some people have feet issues.

Working with chopsticks and tongs is fantastic fine motor work.

And of course you can just rummage around! The girls loved the sound this box made when they stirred it all up!

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Looking for more ideas to do with your toddler or preschooler for the Fourth of July? Visit the What Can We Do With Paper And Glue Pinterest board below!