Last weekend, I participated in a Kid's event at Towne East Square. I provided a craft and it was a big hit with the kids - and parents! Many Moms wanted to know the noodle dyeing secret so I thought I would share it here for all to enjoy! It's amazing how vibrant the colors are!
What you need:
~noodles of choice
~gel food coloring (I used Betty Crocker)
~gallon zip bags
~hand sanitizer
What to do:
In your zip bag, put in 1 Tablespoon of hand sanitizer and about half of the tube of gel coloring. Add one pound of pasta. "Smoosh" around until all of the pasta is coated with the coloring. Let the bag sit for about 15 minutes for color to set in. Then pour pasta onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper and let dry completely.
I will say that when I first started making these, it really didn't look like it was working immediately following the "smooshing" phase. But, after it set for a while, there was a definite difference! Very vivid colors!
And another note...some of the dye did not dry completely inside the penne and rigatoni...you might want to check those over after they dry and maybe stick a cotton swab inside to remove the excess...especially if you will be sticking pipe cleaners through them.
Now what you do the noodles is up to you. For my craft, I used pipe cleaners along with penne, rigatoni and wagon wheel pasta and the kids strung on different noodles to create lovely bracelets, necklaces and anklets.
They would also be super fun glued onto paper to make pictures....rainbows, cars with noodle wheels, a sunny scene complete with flowers and grass and maybe even a flag to decorate for the 4th!! Endless ways to create unique memories.
