How to make Colored Beans
Have you ever tried dying beans before? If you haven't, you need to try it! I was hesitant, because I didn't want it to spend much on ingredients or time. Luckily, neither were true. These took me less than ten minutes to dye and you only need three ingredients: Dried White Beans (I bought four packs), Food Coloring (we used neon colors), and a pinch of Cream of Tartar.
Step One: Color the beans one color at a time. I placed one bag of beans in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and added around 20 drops of food coloring. Shake the bag until all the beans are coated. Add more food coloring if needed. Repeat with remaining colors.
Step Two: Lay the beans on wax paper to dry overnight. When I checked our beans in the morning, they were still sticky and the color would rub off onto my finger. Here's what we did to help.
Step Three: Use a large spoon and scoop the beans into a new ziplock bag. I added two colors at a time, because I didn't mind if our colors mixed. I estimate about 1/2 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar (per color) into the bag and shake the bag until the tartar coats the beans. They're not sticky anymore and ready to be played with!
*Colored Beans are a great sensory item for children. Check out how we've used them in a Letter A Sensory Bin and in Colored Beans Truck Play. (links to come)
