Flower Suncatcher Nature Craft for Preschoolers

Inside: This nature craft for preschoolers is so easy to make and looks beautiful hanging in the window. A fun addition to the gardening theme!

Spring is a great time to take a nature walk with your preschoolers, noticing all the new colors.

Such an easy and fun way to work on color recognition!

As you are going on your walk, give each child a small container and collect leaves and flowers that have fallen to the ground.

Then, turn these into beautiful, vibrant suncatchers that can be hung in the window, bringing the outdoors inside!

Spring Suncatchers Nature Craft for Preschoolers

Our play area is surrounded by azaleas that produce the most vibrant pink flowers in the spring.

Each time we took the children out there, they noticed the flowers that had fallen to the ground.

I decided to invite them to collect them, as well as leaves, to create a simple but beautiful window design.

I love anything we can hang in our big classroom windows, especially if they are colorful. We’ve created rainbows, apples, as well as cute ladybugs.

We’ve even taken large sheets of sticky paper and created murals for our windows using tissue paper pieces.

You can see even more in this collection: Easy Ways to Decorate the Classroom Using Art

When creating this nature craft for our preschoolers, I wanted something simple.

In fact, I already had all the materials! (I just love when that happens.)

Supplies:

• Paper plates
• Tempera paint (we used this neon paint for extra vibrancy)
• Paint brushes
• Con-Tact paper
• Yarn
• Hole punch
• Flowers and leaves
• Seeds (Optional)

Preparation:

Have enough paper plates so that each participating child gets one.

Cut the centers from each of them.

(Save the centers of the paper plates for this fun circle art activity!)

This is a 2-step process, so you will need a couple of days to get it completed.

Step 1: Painting the Paper Plate Ring

Give each child a paper plate ring and provide a shallow container of paint and a paint brush.

They can then paint as little or as much as they’d like around it.

Let the rings dry completely.

Preparing for Step 2

Once the paper plate rings are dry, cut a pieces of Contact paper so the cover the hole in the center of the ring.

Remove the paper backing and press the Contact paper on top of the painted side of the ring, so that the sticky part is on the back.

I like to then place the paper backing on top of the sticky paper, protecting it until the pieces are applied.

Create two holes in the top of the ring and add a cut piece of yarn, creating a loop.

Step 2: Adding the Pieces

Give each child a container of leaves, flowers, and seeds (if using them).

I chose to add the seeds because we had them leftover from our gardening theme science table.

Once the children have added the pieces, you can leave as is or you can take another piece of Contact paper and press it on top of the sticky side, sealing all the pieces that were added.

We used suction cup hooks to hang our nature suncatchers in the window.

I love how they bring the outdoors inside!

 

This spring nature idea would go great with these flower activities:

Art: Paper Plate Flowers

Writing Table: Garden Flowers Printable Counting Book

Sensory Bin: Alphabet Flower Activity

Dramatic Play: Flower Market

Science/Nature: Planting Flowers

Math: Flower Pattern Blocks Activity

Shapes: Flower Shape Cards

Light Table: Foam Flowers on Sticky Paper

 

 

Flowers and Trees Lesson Plans

I’m so excited to be one of the creators of these hands-on flowers and trees lesson plans for toddlers and preschoolers!

Each activity is easy to follow and includes modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of all learners.

Note: This is a digital product. After purchase you will receive an email with the links to the activities.

For more information, click on the graphics below: