Whether you are looking to entertain the kids, encourage their interest in music or an inexpensive toy to stimulate your baby's senses this is a great little project you can work on with the kids or whip up by yourself in minutes.
All you need to make your funky maraca is:
1 cup uncooked rice
Food colouring (1-4 colours)
An empty water bottle
Some tape (electrical is best)
Some bowls and teaspoons
Some aluminium foil
Step1. First of all, rinse out your water bottle, remove the label and leave to dry out.
Step 2. Divide your rice into bowls ready to colour. If you are only using one colour then you can leave your rice in one bowl.
Step 3. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl and stir around until all the dye has been absorbed.
Step 4. Spoon your rice onto the aluminium foil and leave to dry in the sun, this may take a couple of hours depending on how much dye you have used.
Step 5. When the colouring no longer comes off on your fingers, the rice is ready to be poured into the bottle. Place the cap back on the bottle and seal with tape.
Your maraca is now ready for action. The uncooked rice makes a great sound in the plastic and the colours are fun too.
Creating your own toys not only saves you money but is also a great way to involve the kids in stimulating art and craft activities. They will be so proud of the finished product and have hours of enjoyment to follow. Be sure to check out my other projects on Weekend Notes.
