Tapioca Pearl Sensory Play!

We didn't get to do a Messy Monday this week because we were visiting my grandmother in the hospital. (Please keep her in your prayers.)

So we did our messy activity today! Check out the fun we had with Tapioca pearls!

Tapioca pearls are a lot like water beads - but baby and toddler safe! I bought the largest size my grocery store had, but you can order the ones used in boba tea online and those are closer to the size of real water beads. I have been wanting to do this for a few weeks now, but it does require a bit of planning ahead and I never seemed to remember. 

Example of the size.

This is the brand/size I used.

All you need to do is soak the pearls overnight (follow the instructions on the bag - I have seen on some blogs they had to cook the pearls, but my bag said to soak the pearls overnight and then gave the recipe for tapioca pudding, so I just soaked them.) To get the color, I added a few drops of food coloring to the water while they soaked. Since Valentines day is coming up. I used pink, red, and red+blue for purple for some seasonal colors! Right before we were ready to play, I rinsed them thoroughly, to remove the excess coloring. It didn't really stain our hands, we will see about the clothes.

This was a HUGE hit with Beatrix!

The first touch is always a little scary - something totally new! The pearls are a little slimy and a little squishy. She warmed up to them very quickly! She needed some purpose to the activity, so I gave her a toy pan to transfer them to. (It was right behind me.)

Bea kept giving me handfulls, so I got in on the fun as well!

Here is where it started to get messy...

I added some water to make things a little more interesting. They move quite nicely in the water as it keeps them from sticking together.

Beatrix thought it would be fun to dump them out.

She lay down on her tummy and was kicking her feet while rolling them on the floor.

Making a tapioca angel?

These are taste safe, but unless you give them some flavor your kiddo will likely make the face Bea is making above. This is not meant for a snack.

We had quite a good time with the plastic tub as well!

Beatrix helped me wash up afterwards. She is getting so big! She loves to help out with chores.

Tapioca pearls are a great alternative to water beads if your child still likes to explore with their mouth. They were fun "dry" and with a little water. Next time I think I will add a lot of water and do an ocean themed sensory tub with them!