Macaroni necklaces are a tried and true time honored classic activity. My 6 year old wore his pasta bead necklace until he forgot to take it off in the shower and it crumbled. This extension on the activity came from the lovely Kate at Picklebums.
Your child can paint the pasta before or after threading it’s up to you. It will probably be a little less messy if they do it after.
You will need:
- Threadable Pasta – macaroni, rigatoni, ziti, penne
- Piece of yarn long enough to fit around your child’s head plus some extra just in case.
- Masking tape
- Tempra Paint
- Paint brushes (one for each colour of paint)
I like to start by setting my child up for success and a yes space.
This means covering the immediate area (chair, table, floor) with plastic or newspaper or some form of drop cloth so you aren’t stressing about spills.
I also am likely to tape the end of the yarn to the table or tie a piece of pasta to the end of it. This stops the pieces from coming off the end and ruining all your little one’s hard work.
Lightly tape the end of the yarn with a piece of masking tape so it is stiff and will thread through the pasta a little more easily.
Put the pasta in a bowl and you are ready to go!
When it comes time to paint less is more or your pasta will get soggy so choose a smaller brush and offer a small amount of paint.
Personally I like offering just two primary colours so that any mixing that happens results in a colour theory learning opportunity.
Make sure your child knows they’ll need to let the creation dry before wearing it!
Toddler Adaptation
If your toddler can’t quite master the yarn and pasta you they can use straws instead.
Or stick the straws in a lump of play dough for your toddler to thread the pasta onto.
