If you are looking for a fun, colorful activity to do with the kids, you will love this simple suncatcher craft. Seriously, I thought it was going to be a bit complicated with all those beads, but it was super easy and our preschoolers loved making them! You only need pony beads and some sort of baking pan. That’s it!
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What you will need to make these suncatchers:
- Translucent pony beads
- Cupcake tin, or any type of bakeware. We used small disposable pie tins.
- A toaster oven or BBQ
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While I’ve seen this activity on several different blogs, the one that really stood out was at The Artful Parent. I love so many of Jean’s art ideas and her photography is beautiful! We decided to give it a try during one of our summer camps with a mixed age group of preschoolers.
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The activity:
Place pony beads in some sort of dish alongside what you will be baking the beads in. Use fingers to pinch and transfer beads to the bakeware.
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Melting the beads:
Because of the fumes, I would not recommend baking these indoors, unless perhaps you have really good ventilation. Instead, you can use a toaster oven outdoors or even the bbq, as done in this activity. You want to bake them at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes, until the beads are melted and fused together. Then, let cool.
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When cool, the melted beads will just pop right out of the tin. Pretty neat, huh?
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If you want to hang them, drill a hole near the edge.
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They look beautiful with natural light showing through!
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They also look nice on a light table, like what we did here.
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Simple, fun, and beautiful!
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More ideas for children:
Favorite kids activities books:
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