ThrivingLife.co
  • THRIVE Life
  • Lazy Green Mama
  • About

Cheap Creativity ::  Spring Butterfly Toddler Craft

3/14/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I enjoy doing crafts with my kids.  However, due to their ages, the average prep time for a craft is about 20 minutes, their involved time is maybe 6 minutes, clean-up lasts at least 10 minutes and the cost... astronomical!  I'm sure the grandparents are tired of me continually requesting "paints" for holidays.  The washable paint selection at our local craft and mega stores has me wondering if there's a black market in craft supplies that I'm unaware of.  Crafting is supposed to be CHEAP.  I hoard their paints and watercolor paper and yet, we are ALWAYS out of them.  I limit them to a few squeezes of paint and divide the paper into quarters and yet... it vanishes without us ever feeling as though we got to delve into it.

Currently I'm enjoying a long weekend home with the kids and I wanted to do something... without buying anything new or feeling guilty about using up our stash.  Then it hit me... COFFEE FILTER BUTTERFLIES!

Here's what you need:
  • coffee filters that can lay flat
  • ice cube tray or small bowls
  • water
  • food coloring
  • paint brush (optional)
  • drying rack (optional)
  • chenille stems/ pipe cleaners
  • OPTIONAL tray to contain the watery mess
  • OPTIONAL drying rack (I used baking cooling racks)
  • OPTIONAL:  thread & tape for hanging
  • VARIATION:  make the bodies with clothespins, color the body with markers, add googly eyes, then clip the chenille stem into the top for antennas

I set the stage by giving each girl a tray (to contain the mess since food coloring stains), an ice cube tray containing a few primary colors (I chose yellow, blue & red), a paint brush, and a few separated coffee filters (they stick together and it's frustrating for wee-ones to separate them).  Let them color the filters however they choose (see below) and then once the filters dry, just scrunch the middle, wrap a piper cleaner around it and twirl the ends for antennas.  Then I hung them along our windows with white thread and scotch tape.

Picture










Hazel enjoyed "painting" her filters, loving the red+blue=purple combo.

Picture
Picture
Heidi liked to crumple her filters and then dunk them into the colored water.  With pastels, everything turned out pretty... next time I won't dilute the colors quite so much.  I filled each ice cube section with water and only added 3-5 drops of color.  The filters are pretty, but not vibrant.

Picture
Picture
And that my friends, is a fun and easy craft where mama gets to feel
generous and awesome while toddlers get to create, learn & use up materials
to their hearts' content!

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Thrive LGM Sale Prices!

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture


    Lazy Green Mama

    Promote Your Page Too

    RSS Feed


    Categories

    All
    Birth
    Bravelets
    Cheap & Creative
    Cloth Diaper
    Etsy
    Fitness
    Food
    For The Baby
    For The Earth
    For The Home
    For The Kids
    For The Mama
    Get Outdoors
    Giveaway
    Life
    Medley Acres
    Oils & Herbs
    Preparedeness
    Shelf Reliance Sale
    Thrive Basics
    Thrive Dairy
    Thrive Fruit
    Thrive Grains
    Thrive Life Team
    Thrive Meals
    Thrive Proteins
    Thrive Vegetables

    Grab my Button!

    Lazy Green Mama

    Archives

    February 2015
    August 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010


    Header/Button designed by South of Sheridan

    Image Credits: IStock

    Share
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.