Pasta Pictures

Pasta Pictures

Age: Preschool and up
Time: An hour or more
Type of activity: Arts and Crafts

This activity gives Italian art a whole new meaning!

Materials needed:
· Spaghetti noodles (or other pasta)
· Cooking oil
· Waxed paper
· Pencil, crayons, and other decorative materials
· Construction paper

What to do:

Step One: Boil a handful of pasta for each picture your child is going to make. To prevent the pasta from sticking together, add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the water.

Step Two: To make different colored pasta, add food coloring to the boiling water. Use a different pot of water for each color of pasta you'd like to make.

Step Three: Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package (usually about 8-10 minutes) and then drain.

Step Four: Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water.

Step Five: Lay the pasta on a paper towel.

Now it's your child's turn!

Step Six: Shape the pieces of pasta into designs on the construction paper. Your child may want to draw out a design ahead of time with a crayon or pencil and then fill it in with pasta.

Step Seven: When the design is complete, cover the picture with a sheet of waxed paper.

Step Eight: Lay a phone book (or other heavy book) on top of the waxed paper.

Step Nine: Let the picture dry for a few hours. The phone book will make the pasta dry flat and stick to the paper like magic!