Sensory rice

My friend told me about this idea, I had seen it before on Pinterest but couldn't visualise how the food colouring would spread through the rice and without the rice going soggy, I thought there was some magical ingredient or process you had to go through to make it, turns out it is totally easy for anyone with more than half a brain. 

All you do is put some rice into a zip lock bag then put a splash of food colouring in, close the bag and give it a shake.  I was told adding a bit of white vinegar makes the colour brighter, so I added a bit to the pink but it took much longer to dry so I didn't bother adding it to any of the other colours.  I then spread the rice out on a tray to dry overnight. 

Unfortunately I actually have ever so slightly less than half a brain (the other half came out with the placenta)  I forgot to zip the bag up before shaking when I dyed the blue.  Cue a kitchen with rice E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E!! 

Boris was very interested in the rice (and I was absurdly excited about giving it to him) he scooped it and mixed it and let it fall through his fingers, he didn't get very far with it before a parcel arrived for my husband FULL of packing noodles (those polystyrene and starch foamy packing things, I call them noodles) and he became totally distracted from the rice.  I didn't mind too much because he was sooo engaged by the noodles, he loved them and spent a long time sat in the box swimming in them, pouring them over his head and generally having a ball.  He did return to the rice later, and played a bit more before starting to spread them around the whole room.  At which point I called it a day on the rice because I didn't fancy spending the rest of the afternoon picking up rice.

Yep, the packing noodles were a big hit!

The rice was the cheap as chips own brand from the supermarket and cost only about 40p, I already had the food colouring, I didn't have to use much except for the pink which I had intended to be red but ran out.  

Have you used sensory rice?  How else did you use it?  I am thinking collaging when he is a bit older.