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Bug Slime Spaghetti!

April 12, 2011 by Anna Ranson

Make some gloriously fun and creepy sensory play with this bug slime spaghetti messy play activity!Bugs in slimy spaghetti sensory play- great for Halloween!
I nearly chucked out a plateful of cooked spaghetti last night and stopped myself literally as I lifted the bin lid. There must be something we can do with this, surely?! (remember the spaghetti prints?)
Hello Bug Slime Spaghetti!
I mixed in a few drops of vegetable oil and some black food colouring and set it in a tray in the garden with some plastic toy bugs ready for some exploring and investigating!
The tray was boring apparently, so we tipped the slimy contents into a flowerpot instead. So much more fun and a bit more creepily realistic!
She stirred, dug deep and transferred between different pots, playing ย hide and seek with the bugs.
Baby just loved to feel each piece individually, sliding it’s slimy length between her fingers.ย And to taste it too, of course, but thankfully it is completely edible, phew.
And then she tipped it onto her water-filled TubTrug, swooshed the contents around until it looked like some ghastly bog and stepped right in to sploosh around. How much fun is that?!

As usual, she thought of something far more exciting than I would have done and taught me a thing or two in the process. Why explore textures with just your hands when you have feet too?!

This activity is good for:
* creative and imaginative play
* language development through describing words and simple story-telling
* exploring new textures using a multi-sensory approach
* playing outside

See also our Rainbow Alphabet Spaghetti

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Filed Under: Age, Bugs, Creativity, Insects, Messy Play, Outdoor, Preschooler, Sensory, Sensory Tubs, Toddler Tagged With: Baby Play, Outdoor Activities, Sensory Play

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Comments

  1. Mama Pea Pod says

    April 12, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    Wow. That looks seriously disgusting! Very creative, you brave Mummy!

  2. Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says

    April 12, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Ha Ha ! I am laughing! I love this! C has been obsessed with real worms the past few days! You are so funny an inventive!

  3. Domestic Goddesque says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    Brilliant idea but, oooo, yuck. Felling quite creeped out!

  4. Susie says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    I am always so impressed with how messy you let your kids get. I am learning to let the mess go, but it’s a slower process than I’d like. Kudos to you.

  5. Mariah says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    I’d love to do this with my boys but somehow I don’t think they’d go for it. Two of them are scared of anything that moves and the other eats whatever he comes in contact with. This wouldn’t last 2 minutes lol. This is amazing though. I might try it and see how it goes anyway…

  6. Regina @ Chalk In My Pocket says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    Love this! My daughter would also have her toes wiggling around in the spaghetti, she loves to feel things with her feet!

  7. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    Mariah just GO for it! Maybe you could put something less creepy in there to play with? Toy cars/ trucks/ lego etc? For most littlies it’s just the wonderful sensation of feeling the slimy spaghetti that does the trick! Plus, eating this is no problem at all ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    April 12, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    Susie I have to say that they really didn’t get messy in this activity hardly at all! Much LESS mess than painting any day. I think because of the oil on the spaghetti the food colouring didn’t stain anything! Just a quick hand (and foot) wash and they were all clean. ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. rachelle @ tinkerlab says

    April 12, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    Anna! This is fabulous. I just dumped a bunch of noodles out last night – covered already in sauce, unfortunately. I love those moments when a project turns toward the child’s interpretation — it seems to happen almost every time, doesn’t it?

  10. Cheryl Golangco says

    April 12, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    This is disgustingly yummy and really cool! I must try this my students! ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Centers and Circle Time says

    April 12, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    Ewww! What absolutely squishy, yucky, slimy, gross fun! This is super!

  12. EmilyM says

    April 12, 2011 at 7:26 pm

    Yuck…this looks like something my little man would LOVE! Great idea!

  13. JDaniel4's Mom says

    April 13, 2011 at 11:25 am

    This looks like a yucky wonderful mess of fun!

  14. Messy Kids says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    That looks absolutely disgusting…but a lot of fun! Love the idea!

  15. Rachel says

    May 3, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    You should submit this to Kenmore’s Genius Tips contest for ways to get your kids to enjoy dinner! Fun!
    http://www.facebook.com/kenmore?sk=app_217067428319805

  16. Senorita Tortuga says

    July 13, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    I am absolutely doing this with my 2yo son. He would LOVE this. Thanks for the wonderful idea!

  17. chrisirvin says

    November 29, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    Really love this idea. My five-year-old will have a blast with this. Last weekend we mixed a home-made slime with a batch of salt and flour play-dough and ended up with an amazingly messy good time. He loves nothing better that boys-day with his papa for creating messes. Thanks for the worm idea!

  18. Gina says

    May 14, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    What fun! I love that you let them explore with hands and feet! ๐Ÿ™‚

  19. Anonymous says

    July 4, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    Just found your website tonight, I am a mom of 3, oldest 7yo is on the autism spectrum. I got lots of ideas from your website, it ties in to a lot of sensory diet stuff I am aware of from the autism world. Love your pictures, your web site is a pleasure to look at.

  20. Miranda Risher says

    August 26, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    I have been reading alot of your blogs and many of them use food coloring and little hands. Does the food coloring stain their hands? I am going to be teaching preschool in a week and was getting some really good ideas but some parents may not like their kids to be stained up.

  21. Great Big Adventures says

    September 26, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    Love this idea. I will definitely use it for sensory play in one of my outdoor Toddler Adventures (www.greatbigadventures.com). Thanks… I love bugs.

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About The Imagination Tree Hello and welcome! I'm Anna, Mama of 4, early years teacher and play enthusiast from the UK! Click here to read more about me.

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