Making Christmas chickpeas follows a similar process to making coloured rice.
These chickpeas make a perfect accompaniment to any Christmas sensory play ideas. Hide items in the chickpeas and let students find them, plus they're safe for little learners (just ensure adult supervision in case they put them in their mouths).
You will need:
Dried chickpeas
Food colouring (in Christmas colours)
1/2 cup of vinegar for each bag of chickpeas
Plastic bags (sealable)
Baking paper
Baking tray
Glitter (if desired)
STEP ONE
Place the chickpeas inside a plastic bag and add a couple of drops of food colouring and 1/2 a cup vinegar.
STEP TWO
Close the sealable bag and mix it all together.
STEP THREE
Add some glitter if you prefer. It won't stick very well to the chickpeas but it will give them a light sparkle. Reseal and mix the bag again.
STEP FOUR
Spread the chickpeas out onto baking paper on a large baking tray and leave to dry. Most will need to dry for 1-2 days depending on your climate.
They will smell a little of vinegar so dry them outside if you can and the longer you leave them, the better they will smell. You can also add some Christmas scents to them if you'd like, just be careful that children aren't allergic to scented oils etc.
When completed, they make fun sensory trays for maths, literacy or just fun activities.
