It’s no shock that I am knee deep in the foodie universe right now. Between the garden, the food challenge and the general joy of eating when all of the goodness that is Vancouver Island food is in season, I can’t help myself.

The same seems to apply in the kid-style creative universe too. Seems like our foodie ways are rubbing off on the tiny person.

Plugging kids into food is just really about fun.

…and with our kiddo, that totally means jewelry and music.

Enter the classic – macaroni necklaces.

I discovered quickly that the coolest part of this (apparently the only cool part as the tiny person said to me afterward “I’m going to go do something fun now.”) is dying the macaroni.

Here’s what you need:

- Large macaroni

- Hand sanitizer

- Food coloring

- Wax paper

- Yarn or string

- Scissors

- Baggies or containers for mixing

Directions:

1. Take a sheet of wax paper and spread it on a table.

2. Take a couple handfuls of macaroni and put them into containers or baggies depending on the number of different colors of macaroni you want to make.

3. Put a squirt of hand sanitizer in each container and coat the noodles with it.

4. Put three drops of food coloring in each container or baggie and shake it around to coat the macaroni

5. Spread the macaroni out on the wax paper and let them dry for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, we got to work on our musical bean music makers.

Here’s what you need:

- Paper towel or toilet paper rolls

- String or ribbon

- Pliable paper like tissue paper or light handmade papers

- Scissors

- Beans, rice, pebbles or other filler

Directions:

1. Take the roll and cut out a piece of paper to wrap around it with about 1 inch extra on each end.

2. Secure it by wrapping string around the tube.

3. Twist one end at tuck it into the tube.

4. Take a couple of handfuls of beans and stick them in the tube.

5. Tie off that end with string or ribbon and shake away.

Now, back to finishing the necklaces.

- Take a piece of string or yarn and the dry macaroni and start to string (”That part is boring,” the tiny person tells me.)

Voila, the old skool macaroni necklace and some serious kid food craft fun.