Sensory Play with Colored Epsom Salts

Simple and frugal sensory play - How to color epson salts

Have you noticed our recent rainbow trend? It's amazing how rainbows make everything more fun. Seriously, we've made all of these recipes for play before, but I'm amazed at how much more gorgeous all our favorite play materials are when we make them rainbow! Did you know that Epsom salts are incredibly easy to dye, making them perfect for sensory play? They are so inexpensive, and they absorb color easily. They are very versatile. We use them in the bath tub, in sensory bins, for art and crafts, and for prewriting practice.

How to Color Epsom Salts for Sensory Play

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Supplies:

Directions: To dye the Epsom salts, pour the desired amount of salts into a Ziploc bag. Add a generous amount of color and seal the bag. I prefer dyeing with liquid watercolor paint, because of the vibrant colors it produces. Food coloring may also be used. Once the bag is sealed shake it well to all the salts to absorb all the color. My boys love shaking the bags and watching the colors coat the Epsom salts.

If the color is uneven, simply add some more color and reseal the bag. I used two four pound bags of Epsom salts to make our rainbow sensory bin.

Once all the colors are mixed you can either let the Epsom salts dry or set them out for immediate play. If they dry they will retain their color. If you play while they are still wet the colors will mix, producing a cool effect to this recipe for play.

Rainbow Epsom salt sensory bin - how to dye Epsom salts

I don't have too many photos of rainbow Epsom salts in action, because all I could see were four blond heads.

Please note: I do not recommend this recipe for play for babies or toddlers since Epsom salts should not be ingested by children. They are a powerful laxative. One tiny taste probably wouldn't hurt, but it wouldn't take much to irritate a child's stomach. Personally I am not comfortable giving this sensory material to my children until they are past the stage of tasting everything.