Now that September is here, fall is right around the corner and Halloween starts to feel like fair game. These silly pasta monsters are a super easy craft and you probably already have all the supplies you need! I’m also betting that you’ve probably nearly made these before – if you’ve ever let leftover spaghetti sit on a plate for a bit too long before doing the dishes, you’ve probably noticed how it started to get hard and stuck together. That’s exactly what makes these pasta monsters work! For these though, I first dyed the noodles with food coloring before setting them up to dry into these scribbly monster shapes.
If your kids enjoy sensory activities, playing with these colored and cooked noodles will be lots of fun on its own. Then later just glue some googley eyes on and you’ve got these silly friends! They’re on the fragile side but they still make fun pets for kids to play with. I bet that if you used linguine though they might be a little more sturdy!
what you need:
- Spaghetti noodles
- Food coloring
- Plastic bags or bowls
- Wax/parchment paper
- Googley eyes
- White glue
how-to:
Step 1
Boil spaghetti until al dente, drain, and rinse. In a plastic bag or bowl, add 2 Tbsp water and about 15 drops of food coloring – you can adjust this to get your desired color. Keep in mind that the finished colors will be darker than how the spaghetti looks now. Put cooked spaghetti into the bag/bowl and mix to coat with the food coloring, letting sit for 10 minutes. Drain the dyed spaghetti and rinse until water runs clear.
Boil spaghetti until al dente, drain, and rinse. In a plastic bag or bowl, add 2 Tbsp water and about 15 drops of food coloring – you can adjust this to get your desired color. Keep in mind that the finished colors will be darker than how the spaghetti looks now. Put cooked spaghetti into the bag/bowl and mix to coat with the food coloring, letting sit for 10 minutes. Drain the dyed spaghetti and rinse until water runs clear.
Step 2
Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat). While kids are playing with and exploring the cooked spaghetti, they can form round-ish scribble shapes to be the monsters. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do this, but if you use too much spaghetti in one pile, it may not dry out fully. Too small of a pile and it may not stick together. Make lots so that you have options in case they don’t all work out. Set aside to dry completely. I let these ones dry for just over 24 hours, setting the trays in the sun to help speed things along.
Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat). While kids are playing with and exploring the cooked spaghetti, they can form round-ish scribble shapes to be the monsters. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do this, but if you use too much spaghetti in one pile, it may not dry out fully. Too small of a pile and it may not stick together. Make lots so that you have options in case they don’t all work out. Set aside to dry completely. I let these ones dry for just over 24 hours, setting the trays in the sun to help speed things along.
Step 3
Once the spaghetti is completely dried and hard, use white glue to attach googley eyes onto each one. You could even cut additional features like eyebrows, noses, and mouths from construction paper or felt to make different expressions!
Once the spaghetti is completely dried and hard, use white glue to attach googley eyes onto each one. You could even cut additional features like eyebrows, noses, and mouths from construction paper or felt to make different expressions!
Happy crafting!