Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Tie-dye Snowflakes

With this activity, I've taken the typical paper snowflake and jazzed it up a bit. It is very simple to do, and since the paper is thin, it takes less strength to cut making it a good activity for preschool children. This does take a bit of skill using scissors so it would probably be best for children 3 and up - possibly younger with a lot of help. My 4-year-old was able to do it all by himself.

This is what you'll need

  • One 4 cup round coffee filter (white)
  • Markers
  • Newspaper
  • Spray bottle
  • Scissors
Directions:
  • Lay out the newspaper and flatten the coffee filters out on top of it.
  • Have the child(ren) color the coffee filter with markers - making sure they use a lot of colors.
  • Once they have finished coloring their filter, have them spray it with water until the colors start to blend.(Make sure they don't spray too close - you want them to mist, not soak, it)
  • Leave it on the newspaper to dry.
  • Once the filters have dried, remove them from the newspaper.
  • Have the child fold the filter in half, then in half again
  • Next, show them how to cut the filter on all three sides, making sure to leave portions of the folded area connected.
  • Unfold, and voila! Tie-dye snowflakes! :)

Variation: If you want to make these look more traditionally tie-dyed:
  • Grab the center of the filter and pull the ends together like a cone.
  • Tie rubber bands or twisty ties around the filter.
  • Color and spray.
  • Let dry.
  • From this point you just follow the same directions as above.

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