Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Start by collecting your alphabet beads, rice, and tube. If you'd like, use a funnel to add a small amount of the rice to the tube. (Our funnel is silicone and collapsible. It doubles as a toddler toy in our house...if I can't find it in the kitchen, it is usually in V's play house. So using the funnel for us was a must!)
Step 2
After adding the rice, add about 5-7 letters, then some more rice, and then some more letters, and so on and so forth until you fill the container up about three-quarters from the top. This part is definitely an activity for a toddler to do because it is okay if it gets a little messy and the letters get mixed up.
But this next step is a mama step: Seal the lid shut with hot glue and wait until completely cooled before handing off to your little one.
Step 3
Next, print out the alphabet card. We chose to laminate ours (clear contact paper works the same if you do not have access to a laminator), so that we could use our dry erase crayons and mark off the letters as we located them in the tube.
Final result!
This activity is a great busy bag activity because it is nice and small. I have the tube, the printable, and a dry erase crayon in a baggie and keep it right in my diaper bag. It holds V's attention when we are somewhere and have to wait, such as a restaurant, in the store, or in line at the bank.
Have fun on your Seek-N-Find scavenger hunt!