Snacktivity: Fruit Loop Rainbows

 Snacktivity: Fruit Loop Rainbows

I love St. Patrick's Day!  It's so much fun to dress the kids up in green, make yummy recipes, and try new crafts.  When I was teaching I always loved doing themed activities for the holidays and now that I'm a mom I'm so excited that I get to do them at home with my little ones.  Today I decided to make Fruit Loop rainbows with them. However, this activity would be fun any time of year because rainbows are always fun!  This could even be an activity at a rainbow themed birthday party!  Anyways... D, J & E love snack time activities (snacktivities) so I knew this would be a hit!  I can't believe how well they did. They exceeded every expectation I had for them!  I am one proud mommy!
The setup is easy and can be easily adapted for older and younger children. The trio is a little over 2.5 years old and this met their needs, yet challenged them without causing frustration. It was a great activity that reinforced colors, counting, sorting, and fine motor skills. Best of all they were able to enjoy a snack all while having fun learning!

You'll need:
- a box of fruit loops
- bag of mini marshmallows
- clear cups
- paper
- colored pencils/crayons/markers
- glue (we used glitter glue but any glue will work)

What to do:
While the kids were napping (a rare occurrence these days...) I drew 3 rainbows onto paper making sure to leave enough space for the fruit loops to fit.  I added clouds at the bottom to complete the rainbow.

After naps, the trio woke up and I told them I had a fun "snacktivity" planned. We've used fruit loops to make necklaces in the past so I explained this time we would be using them for a new activity called Fruit Loop rainbows. 

Step 1:  I showed them the pictures of the rainbows I drew and we went over the colors of the rainbow and counted how many colors there are.

Step 2: I handed out 6 clear cups to each of them and then I poured them each a bowl of fruit loops, reminding them not to eat these fruit loops. I put one of each color fruit loop into each cup and told they need to match the colors. (Ex. Red goes with red, etc). They caught on instantly!  I honestly expected to be doing it all myself!  I was so surprised. (You can do this step ahead of time if your little one is too young for this or if you need to save time.) I loved hearing them talking about how they were matching the colors. Jake decided he wanted to do all his reds first.  My favorite part was when they noticed the wrong color was in the cup they would say " orange doesn't go with red!", etc.  They learn so quickly!

They were such great sorters!  

Step 3:  Snack break!  After patiently waiting to eat the fruit loops, they needed the opportunity to eat some to ensure they would be able to finish the activity!  It was a "snacktivity" after all.

Step 4: Gluing! To be honest, I wasn't sure how this was going to go. This was our first time using glue with an actual purpose. I decided the best way was for me to trace the rainbow line and have them place the fruit loops on the line. We used glitter glue which worked great. As I began to show them what to do I only put glue on half a line at a time and I gave them only the color fruit loop they were working with at that time.  Then I showed them how to put a fruit loop on. After I showed them the first one, they again figured it out right away.  Shortly after they began Emma announced she was making a choo choo train. This meant she was lining her fruit loops up so that they were touching on the rainbow glue line. The boys saw this and also thought it was such a smart idea. The rest of the rainbow went so smoothly they didn't even need my help. I continued to give them one color at a time until they finished the rainbow.  By the end I was gluing the whole line (instead of half) and they were getting faster at putting them on.  We talked about filling in the holes as we went along.

I love the concentration in their faces :)

Another fun part was when they started counting the fruit loops as they placed each one on the paper. The learning was coming from every angle during this seemingly simple activity.  

Dylan adding his final touches!

Jake finishing his rainbow!

Emma was so proud of her rainbow!

Once they finished the rainbow, they needed to add the clouds. We used mini marshmallows and more glitter glue. I put some glue in the cloud and had them put marshmallows in it. They were not as interested in gluing these on as they were squishing them.

Nonetheless this was a very successful "snacktivity" and they sat there as happy as could be for over 90 minutes!  Happy 2 year olds make for a happy mommy!  A happy mommy with cute St. Patrick's Day crafts to hang up now!

The finished product!  Too cute!