- Age Guideline: 3 Years and Up
- Time Required: 30 minutes (Does not include drying time)
The above age and time guidelines are estimates. This project can be modified to suit other ages and may take more or less time depending on your circumstances.
Materials Needed:
- Nature Finds
- Wax Paper
- Old Crayons
- Craft Foam or Construction Paper
- Ribbon
- Scissors
- Cheese Grater
- Iron and Ironing Board
- Pressing Sheet or Dish Towel
- Hole Puncher
Instructions:
Go for a family walk and gather small, 'flat' items such as leaves of different shapes and colors, grass, small flowers, and clovers. Make sure you do not pick flowers, leaves or grass from anyone's yard without their permission.
Cut out two matching pieces of wax paper for each sun catcher you and your child want to make. At this time the wax paper pieces should be cut into whatever shape and size your child wants the sun catcher to be. Make several if you like; cut out circles, squares, ovals, or you can even make leaf shapes or flower shapes.
Lay down one piece of wax paper on your ironing board. Have your child arrange their nature finds however they want on top of the wax paper. Make sure the outside edge is kept clear! To add a little color, grate the crayons and let your child sprinkle them onto the wax paper.
Lay the second piece of wax paper on top so your child's nature finds are sandwiched between the two pieces of wax paper. Set the iron to medium heat. Carefully lay the pressing sheet or dish towel over the wax paper. Press with the iron, do not slide the iron back and forth, until the two pieces of wax paper are fused together. Do not let your child near the iron!
While the wax paper sun catcher cools your child can create a frame using craft foam. Finally, let your child punch a hole in the top of the sun catcher and thread a piece of ribbon through it. Tie the ends of the ribbon together to hang the sun catcher.
