My little man lovvvved this project. It was pretty simple and doesn't make too big of a mess. I like multi-step projects like this every once in a while because it really teaches Eli to work on his patience while exploring an new medium. These coffee filter butterflies can be made with things you have on hand and are really cute hanging on the fridge!
Materials:
- Coffee filters
- Washable watercolors
- Pipe cleaners
- Glue gun
- Magnet sticker strips
- Old plate/tupperware
- Paintbrush
- Paper bag
- Tongue depressors
I always loved a technique similar to this when I worked as a preschool assistant so I just tweeked it a little bit so we could do it at home. Start by finding an old plate or tupperware container you don't mind getting paint on...it will wash off in the end so I just used a normal plate we had in the cabinet. Grab the coffee filters, too. You need 1-2 filters for each butterfly so grab accordingly. Flatten the coffee filter onto the plate and have your watercolors ready.
Let your child paint the coffee filter with the watercolors. The filter will get soaked in paint and at some point you have to stop your child and give them a new filter. Put the wet coffee filters on a paper bag to dry, I find the paper bag soaks up the excess water the best and doesn't stick to the wet filter...you could also use paper towels.
If you want to make a butterfly
without magnets, fold a pipe cleaner in half, gather the filter in the middle, and wrap the pipe cleaner around the middle. This is the butterfly's antenna.
If you want to make a butterfly that will go on the fridge, gather two filters and hot glue the centers to a tongue depressor. These are the butterfly's wings, put them close together or far apart...where ever you child thinks looks best :) We did a few of both.
Now bend a pipe cleaner in half leaving a small loop at the bottom to attach to the tongue depressor. This is the antenna. Attach the antenna to the topside of the tongue depressor with your hot glue gun, on the same side you previously glued on.
Once the glue on the wings and antenna is dry,
cut two, one inch strips from a magnet sticker strip. Peel the backing off of the magnets and apply glue to the areas on top of both wings. (see pictures.) Place the magnet pieces on top of glue and allow it to completely dry.
All you have to do now is stick them to the fridge, or make more! We made extras while we had all of the supplies out because I plan on using them as gift toppers! Cute, right?!
If you really want to get into it, check out my
egg carton caterpillar to explain to your kids how a butterfly is born! Or, make a
packing peanut painting of a caterpillar!
Start by taking apart your frames. If you are using a grouping with several different size frames, make sure you keep the 'parts' of each frame together so it is easier to assemble them at the end. Separate the actual frame from the backing and glass and clean it with a damp paper towel to remove any dirt. Spray paint the frames any color. I suggest doing at least two coats, depending on what shade you are trying to paint them they may need additional coats for 100% coverage. Wait at least 15 minutes in between coats and apply a light dusting rather than a soaking. If you apply too much spray paint at once it will drip and not look very cute :)
Slowly peel the tape away from the paper once the paint has completely dried. If you try to rip the paint off too quickly you may pull chunks of paint off.
Just a few minutes of assembly and you have these cute, coordinating table centerpieces! They are so easy to make and you probably have most of what you need on hand. Choose any little toy or trinket that goes along with your theme to pull the party together. When my son turned two, I had several of these on the tables with balloons anchored inside of them. They turned out so cute that I had to share this little gem!
I love this project because it is cheap and easy but it looks great. You can use any number of things instead of the truck like I chose. Use plastic Dora figurines for a Dora themed party, Dinosaurs for a Dino Party, etc. I bought my glass containers at Goodwill for about $.75 a piece and bought all the beads for 6 centerpieces for $8 at the dollar store! Happy party-planning, everyone!
As I have said before, my son LOVES car. Any project I can think of that will include his obsession is fine with him. This activity not only provides entertainment in the car but it also helps to improve his hand eye coordination. 
Attach the magnet pieces of magnet onto the flattest part of the underside of the car. In my case, it was most flat in between both sets of wheels. If it works better on a particular car to use a bigger strip in the middle, do so. Let your magnetized cars dry for at least 15 minutes to ensure the magnet won't come off...Be careful if you are using this activity for small kids who are still interested in 'eating' toys.
Although it isn't necessary for me to get the easel completely clean after each use, the big blobs that would stick to the easel paint cups after only 10 minutes really bothered me. I needed something that was going to buy me some time so I could get my little man cleaned up before I had fingerprints all over my walls and before the paint would stick to the easel...what.a.pain. Then it came to me----Tin foil!!!! Why hadn't I thought of this before? I use tin foil when I am painting (it is easier to mix colors on, more so than plastic) so I felt really dumb when I finally started using this technique with Eli.
I always loved a technique similar to this when I worked as a preschool assistant so I just tweeked it a little bit so we could do it at home. Start by finding an old plate or tupperware container you don't mind getting paint on...it will wash off in the end so I just used a normal plate we had in the cabinet. Grab the coffee filters, too. You need 1-2 filters for each butterfly so grab accordingly. Flatten the coffee filter onto the plate and have your watercolors ready.
Let your child paint the coffee filter with the watercolors. The filter will get soaked in paint and at some point you have to stop your child and give them a new filter. Put the wet coffee filters on a paper bag to dry, I find the paper bag soaks up the excess water the best and doesn't stick to the wet filter...you could also use paper towels.
If you want to make a butterfly that will go on the fridge, gather two filters and hot glue the centers to a tongue depressor. These are the butterfly's wings, put them close together or far apart...where ever you child thinks looks best :) We did a few of both.
Now bend a pipe cleaner in half leaving a small loop at the bottom to attach to the tongue depressor. This is the antenna. Attach the antenna to the topside of the tongue depressor with your hot glue gun, on the same side you previously glued on.
