Butterfly Coffee Filter Art

I have noticed the fascination that Wugs has for blending and mixing colours at the moment so I thought we would experiment with this very inexpensive craft.

What we used:

Coffee filter paper (I found filter paper for 4-6 cups is an ideal size especially if they are to feature on A5 cards)

Washable felt tip pens/markers

Squirty bottle of water or a dropper

Coloured popsicle sticks

Glue

I gave Wugs the felt tip pens and let him colour in one side of the filter paper.  Once he had finished, we took a squirty bottle (we used an empty Ecover bottle, washed it out thoroughly and filled it with water) and I let him squirt once or twice on to the filter paper.  The colours of the felt tip pens blended into one another as the water seeped into the paper to create this beautiful effect.  We left them to dry on a tray for a couple of hours.

Once the filter paper had dried, I cut the two sides and trimmed the edges and then pulled out the filter paper completely.  Up until this point I didn’t know how we would use the art, but the mirror effect of the colours on both sides of the filter paper reminded me of a butterfly.  I glued the coloured popsicle sticks down the centre of the coffee filter paper and then used double-sided tape to glue them to my kitchen window.  The kitchen in our apartment doesn’t get much natural light, so the butterflies were a uplifting, colourful addition to a dark room.

Here are some gift cards we made from our coffee filter butterflies:

Suncatcher

I have been longing to set up this suncatcher craft for a while, but I was afraid Wugs would pull the contact paper off the table or glue himself to it and get frustrated.  This activity was a testament to trying new things even if I expect them to end in disaster.  Happily it didn’t.

What you need:

Contact Paper

Coloured Transparent Paper or Coloured Tissue Paper (or both)

Black Masking Tape

I cut up the paper into large squares and put it into a tub.  Then I cut out a large sheet of contact paper and gradually peeled back the first 2 inches and glued them to the table (this can also be done on a patio/balcony door).  I pulled the rest of the backing off and glued the last two inches to the table.  Then I assembled the pots of paper around the contact paper.

It was during this activity that I discovered the importance of stepping back and giving my son freedom to discover colours and textures in his own way (even if that meant some mess in the process).  He enjoyed burying his fingers in the pot of paper and immediately showered the floor with them as if they were confetti.  Once he had finished, I put the paper back in the pot and showed him how to stick it to the contact paper.  He lifted the paper up to his face and peered through it viewing the room through the yellow colour, then the red and finally he began sticking.  

Once he had finished sticking, I used black masking tape to frame the contact paper and stuck it to our balcony doors.  It felt like a mini stained glass window on our balcony doors and a nice colourful addition to our living room.

Silver Sensory Tub

If there is one cupboard in the kitchen that gets emptied at least once a day, it is the cupboard containing all my tins and metal jugs. Whether it’s the shiny, reflective surface that attracts the toddler’s eye or the loud clatter they make when they land on the kitchen tiles, that cupboard appeals to my little one’s senses and has saved me on many occasions when dinner is late and a distraction has been needed.  I decided to expand on this and hunt around the house for similar silvery items of slightly different textures and shapes.

This tub has been so successful that recently I put one together for Dooey.