This colourful sensory activity will appeal to anyone who likes messing, mixing and making potions. Make your own shimmery colourful crystals and have fun exploring colour mixing.
Time: 30 minutes
Age: Under 5's
Level: Easy
Materials
Several clear glasses or jars
Stirrers (we used chopsticks)
Rock salt makes scoopable colourful crystals
Bend some aluminium foil into shallow cups, one for each colour. Place on the baking tray
Add a handful of rock salt to each foil cup
Add a capful of different coloured food colouring to each one and mix around each pouch until the salt is covered in colouring
Ready to mix the colour through then dry in the oven
Bake in the oven until dried out and shimmery (about 10 minutes in an oven at 150 degrees)
The colourful crystals are shimmery
Put down plenty of newspaper then set out a jug of water, lots of glasses or jars with stirrers and the cups of coloured salt with a spoon for each colour.
Ready to get stuck in
Let the children decide how much water to pour into each glass then scoop spoonfuls of the colourful crystals into the glasses of water as they choose. The salt crystals make interesting tinkling sounds as they are stirred in the water.
Let the children top up the glasses with more water from the jug if they wish to.
With older children, explore colour mixing and try to predict how the colour will change before you add a new spoonful of crystals.
Watch out as the food colouring will stain hands and clothes and may make quite a bit of mess!
Categories
#Under 5s
#Easy
#Salt
#Food colouring
#Colour mixing
#Messy play
#Sensory 
