Being a frugal sort of mama, I love finding ways to use items I already have at home to create play and learning experiences for my kids. I recently bought a giant package of Q-Tips on sale, and I knew I would be using them for some kid activities, since we only have so many ears in our house. I have been on a bit of a liquid watercolor kick as of late, as you can see by our Outdoor Color Station (don't worry you can use food coloring if you don't have liquid watercolors) and I decided to use it to turn ordinary Q-Tips into some colorful learning manipulatives. The possibilities for using these are really endless, and when you see how easy they are to make, you will want to make some for your kids to enjoy. Check out how simple it is to Dye Q-Tips for Play and Learning.
You will need:
- Liquid watercolors or food coloring
- Q-tips
- Small cups
- Surface for drying (we used parchment paper)
Fill up some plastic cups with a few drops of liquid watercolors and some water to dilute the color. Dip each end of the q-tip into the dye.
Place the wet q-tips on some paper to dry.
Ours took a few hours to become completely dry. As they dry, the color will begin to seep up the q-tip a bit, creating a cool effect.
The nice thing about these colored q-tips is that once they are dry, the color doesn't come off on hands. We have been using these for all sorts of learning and play activities and I will be sharing some of them with you in the coming weeks.
For more ways to use household objects for learning and play check out:
Maria says
I really like your ideas for using Qtips and straws. I teach at a daycare and this idea is very useful for my kids.I will use it in class .can you give me an idea of where to find liquid watercolors.thank you
Sara Steele says
Could you also use washable markers to color the tips? Or would that rub off? I love the straw idea!
Vicky says
I have never tried that Sara. It is an interesting idea. It might take a while but I am curious about what the results will be. Please let me know if you try it. Thanks for the kind words.
Sarah says
What do you use them for? Is there a link to some activities?
Vicky says
Here are a few: https://www.messforless.net/fine-motor-activity-with-playdough-and-q-tips/
https://www.messforless.net/q-tips-and-straws-fine-motor-skills-activity/
tru shah says
I am excited to see the activitines you are going to share using the ear buds. They look colorful and fun
Vicky @ Mess For Less says
Thanks Tru!
Miss Melissa says
These would be fun to turn into a domino game making different colors on each end and having kids match the colors like dominoes.
Vicky @ Mess For Less says
We plan on doing just that! Thanks for stopping by!