Let's Count Pasta!

You can make counters out of anything countable! Beans, pallette sticks, buttons, bottle caps, seeds, pasta! But when you think about pasta you might ask,  "How long will those last?" Well they can last for a long time if you treat them right. 


Today I will show you how to colour and treat pasta for variety and longevity.





 

For this you will need:

• Pasta of various shapes and sizes
• A measuring teaspoon
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Waxed paper
• Paper towels/ old newspapers
• Cookie sheets
• Gloves

STEPS

1. Place one cup of pasta in a ziplock bag.
2. Put 1 Tablespoon of Alcohol in a small container and drop 8-10 drops of food colouring into alcohol. Mix the teaspoon.
3. Pour into ziplock bag and zip it closed securely. Shake gently and turn bag over a few times to spread  the colour. Let it sit on a paper towel for about 10 minutes, then  turn the bag over and let it sit for another 10 minutes. For deeper colour add another 10 minutes. (Do not leave in bags for several hours.)
4. Place the waxed paper on the cookie sheet. Open the ziplock bag and carefully pour out the coloured macaroni. Spread it out in a single layer for faster drying. Discard the ziplock bag.
5. Let it dry thoroughly before putting it into the container or bag for storage.
6. Double the alcohol/food coloring if you are using two cups into the ziplock bag.
7. You can repeat these instructions for as many colours as you are making.