Welcome to our third installment of Toddler Art Tuesdays! I have paired up with the fabulous Lindsay from You Are the Roots to bring you a fun art activity you can do with toddlers every Tuesday for the month of April and a roundup of fun ideas from other great kid bloggers, too. This week is all about one of my favorite crafts…suncatchers!
In my introductory post, I talked a lot about the importance of process-based art for toddlers. However, once in awhile I like to take a process-based activity and turn it into a product that I can display…I love adding color to our home using art the kids have created. To create our suncatchers, I used the tried-and-true method of placing crayon shavings between two sheets of wax paper and then ironing the paper (use layers of paper towels to protect your iron) to create a melted wax collage. I got the twins involved by having them sprinkle (or “finkle” as they like to say) the crayon shavings on the wax paper however they liked. They were absolutely fascinated by the colorful shavings and spent lots of time exploring their texture and colors- it was a sensory activity all on its own!
The next afternoon the twins and I collected sticks outside. I picked out several that had forked ends and trimmed off all the other offshoots (see first picture below). These would become the butterfly “bodies.” Then I cut butterfly shapes (freehand) out of the melted crayon collages. I placed those on our table and gave the sticks to the twins to match up (second picture below). They took this part of the activity very seriously!
After the twins were satisfied with their matches, I used hot glue to secure the sticks to the wax paper collages. Presto! A family of beautiful butterflies to brighten up our windows!
It’s really cute to listen to Will retell the story of how we made the suncatchers: “Finkle colors, Mama iron, HOT! HOT! Priiidy.”
“Cutta wings, stick inna middle. Bu-da-fiy!”
Looking for more toddler-friendly suncatcher ideas?
Here are a couple that we have done recently:
These Easter Egg Suncatchers were easy to make using Contact paper, tissue paper, sequins, and Easter grass. Cut them into different shapes for different seasons or themes.
Our Sticky Sheep activity is great for fine motor development and makes the windows all warm and fuzzy for spring!
These Valentine Suncatchers use handprints and resist art techniques to make fun keepsakes on clear vinyl stretched in embroidery hoops. These could be adapted for any season or occasion by changing the colors and shapes that you use! This would be cute done in the first letter of a child’s name.
Contact paper (clear adhesive shelf liner) is a favorite medium for creating collages with young children. Here are a few examples from some other awesome kid bloggers (click on numbered links below the collage to see individual posts):
1. Contact Paper Collages by Fun at Home With Kids
2. Four Seasons Collages by Red Ted Art
3. Cross Suncatcher at Train Up a Child
4. Easy Easter Suncatchers at the Fairy and the Frog
Here are six more super-fun ways to make suncatchers from all kinds of materials…glue, paint, Wikki Stix, and even drinking straws!
1. Colored Glue Art at Fun-A-Day
2. Rainbow Tie-Dyed Suncatchers by Teach Beside Me
4. Stained-Glass Painting by Happy Hooligans
5. Clear Glue and Drinking Straw Suncatchers by Having Fun at Home
6. Quick Rainbow Window Decorations with Bendaroos (Wikki Stix) by Fantastic Fun and Learning
Well friends, that’s it for this week’s Toddler Art Tuesday! Next week we will be focusing on making art with natural materials. To see the other posts in this series, click HERE. And don’t forget to hop over to You are the Roots to see what Lindsay has up her sleeve this week…I can’t wait to see what kind of suncatchers she made with her little Ethan!
Toddler Art Tuesdays Posts:
- Toddler Art Tips
- Fun with Fingerpaint
- Butterfly Suncatchers
- Painted Nature Collage
- Dyed Nature Necklaces
I love those butterfly suncatchers! So, so beautiful!
Those are beautiful! And I love using up old bits of broken crayons so they don’t go to waste. Thanks so much for including our Bendaroo rainbow window display.
Oh my GOSH, I LOVE these butterflies! Absolutely brilliant, and they’re just gorgeous!
We’ve never made a suncatcher but now i can’t wait!! I love that you used a stick for your butterfly suncatcher. My son will get a kick out of that. Thanks for all the ideas.
Question? How do you prevent the crayon from melting again in the sun and dripping all over the window? We had a problem with this when we did this art before. Wondering if you have any prevention tips? They are beautiful and we would love to attempt this art again.
Hi! We haven’t had this problem yet because our dining room window (where they are currently located) has a solar screen, so it doesn’t get that hot. I would say either use clear tape (or even colored tape depending on the look you want) to seal around the edges of your butterfly or find a window that doesn’t get full sun all day long to display them. I’ll update if mine start melting!
I LOVE these butterfly sun catchers! They turned out gorgeous and the stick adds the perfect touch! Off to pin!
Those butterflies are gorgeous! Love that you used real sticks.
Did I tell you how much I love this round up? The posts you’ve selected for it are so beautiful! Well done, Stephanie!! And thanks so much for including our posts in your collection. x
I love these cute suncatchers. I would like to invite you to link up this post to my Money Saving Monday Link Up.
Thank You,
Stephanie
http://lifesallaboutlittleadventures.blogspot.com/2013/04/money-saving-monday-week-2.html
I love the idea of a suncatcher round up! Thanks for sharing on Mom’s Library! I’m featuring this idea along with my round up of preschool themes on this week’s Mom’s Library.
http://www.ready-set-read.com/2013/04/preschool-themes-round-up-and-moms.html
Those sun catchers are just beautiful, and I love how you incorporated the sticks!
Thanks for sharing them at Stress-Free Sunday, and for including our colored glue sun catchers.
I’m going to have butterfly/heart suncatchers in my windows. {don’t tell anyone, ’cause I don’t have kids}
These look so great! x
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