Thanksgiving Noodle Necklace + Noodle Activities

**UPDATE**
I've moved to ladybugsandlattes.com
You can find this post and more here
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I don't know about you, but when I think about celebrating Thanksgiving as a kid, two things come to mind: pumpkin pie and colored noodle necklaces. The only pumpkin pie I make is the kind I can defrost, but noodle necklaces? I can do that.

I loved making a noodle necklace in preschool, but it never occurred to me how the noodles became so colorful. Turns out it's really easy to dye noodles and use them for numerous crafts. I used to mix paint with the noodles, wait all day for them to dry, and still have them be goopy and stuck to each other. This time I used liquid food coloring and it dried much quicker and covered them just as well!

Here are the plain mostaccioli noodles I used.

Then I added a few drops of food coloring and used a spoon to mix them.

Make whatever colors you like, but I chose red, yellow, green, and blue to make them look like Thanksgiving colors.

Then cut a piece of yarn for the necklace, and make sure it will be big enough for your child to pull over their head.
Start stringing the noodles onto your necklace. I had help. (If your child is old enough, this is a great hand-eye coordination activity!)

Tie it in a double knot and watch how excited your child is to wear a noodle necklace. They really cherish the strangest things...

Now, what to do with those leftover colored noodles? This is what we are doing...

Dump and fill activity with a tupperware container (meaning: she dumps them out and then puts them in my hand or back in the container, then repeat, and repeat, and repeat)

Sorting by colors

Counting the noodles

Shaking the container of noodles as an instrument while listening to music