Silhouette Bunny Art

Here's a fun and easy Easter project for the kids to do! Cut out a bunny shape and tape it to white paper. Use Do-a-Dot markers to stamp around the bunny, making sure to overlap onto the bunny's edges. Feel free to add some dots "floating free" around the bunny as well.

Peel off the black bunny and you are left with a beautiful bunny silhouette!

I only taped the black paper in two spots so it would be easy to take off, but that means some of the ink got under it. Maybe using a thicker paper would help. I used black construction paper and white cardstock paper. When I had some kids do this project I had to remind them to make dots all around the bunny shape so you can see an outline when you take the black paper away.

They did a good job, but I helped them fill it in a little.

Quick and cute!

Marble-Painted Bunnies

These adorable bunnies will definitely add some Spring color to your home or classroom!

I traced my bunny template onto white cardstock and the kids marble-painted it with bright colors.

I used a colored marker to outline the bunny so when I cut it out it would have a border. But it also helped me see where to cut when the paper was covered in paint!

The kids picked out a little pom pom to glue on for the tail.

They would also look good glued onto another piece of paper, either a bright color or even black.

But I decided to leave them alone. I did, however, end up using the rest of the marble-painted paper because it was too pretty to throw away. I glued it onto another piece of paper and added a cotton ball for the tail. This way each child had 2 bunny crafts!

Just be sure to cut the bunny out carefully, only making one small cut on the bottom that can easily be hidden.

Dot Art Suncatchers

Last year I shared snowman suncatchers that were made by painting a paper towel and framing it with black construction paper. This year I decided to use Do-A-Dot markers and boy, they did not disappoint! We chose to make hearts for Valentine's Day. First you make some dot art on a white paper towel.

The more dots, the better!

When they are dry, cut a heart out of black construction paper. Save the heart for a different project and glue the remaining paper onto the paper towel. Hang in a sunny window and enjoy!

I love it with the black frame! This year we made our snowmen with dot markers as well. Faster, brighter and easier than using paint!

Paper Towel Suncatchers

I recently bought paper towels with Frozen characters on them. I thought my daughter would like to paint them. We had Anna, Elsa and Olaf.

I decided to trace Anna and Olaf with a black Sharpie to make it easier for my 3-year-old, but I left Elsa alone because I was curious which would look better.

I experimented with a couple different paints to see what worked best. I had regular watercolors and glitter acrylic paint which I received from CraftProjectIdeas.com. We started with Olaf.

The watercolors were brighter, but they needed a lot of water. We kept having to dip the brush in water in order to get the paint to spread. The glitter paints were easier to work with, but often quite pale so we needed a lot. When she was done painting, I thought it would look neat hanging in a window with the sun shining in.

By the time we got around to painting Anna and Elsa, my daughter had enough so she only painted a few parts and I finished them.

I like how the white acrylic paint actually shows up!
And as always, it's so hard to get a good picture of a suncatcher, but they really are pretty in the window.

 If you don't have prints on your paper towels, you could always draw your own design with a Sharpie!

Stained-Glass Birds

We've been having a little problem with birds hitting our front windows lately. It used to happen a couple times a year, but recently it's been happening a couple times a week. We have some feeders near the windows and we don't want to move them because they are fun to look at (and the cats really enjoy it as well!). I've noticed black bird decals on windows of some buildings and at the zoo, so I thought we'd try that at home. Of course, I wanted something more colorful. So I found a flying bird template (here), printed it out the size I needed, and traced it on black construction paper. Then I traced around it, about 1/4" away from my original tracing. I cut along the outside line first, then along the inside line so I had a nice thick outline of the bird. I put it on the inside of a laminating sheet and my daughter filled it in with colorful tissue paper squares.

We didn't use any glue. Everything just sat on top of the laminating sheet. You can also use contact paper, but I like how the laminator makes it extra glossy. She covered the entire inside of the bird.

We didn't worry about staying inside the black outline because it was getting trimmed after it was laminated.

Only one side will have the black outline, but you could always use a Sharpie to draw in an outline on the other side. I didn't mind. I just made sure the outline was facing in when I hung them in the windows. I also decided to hang up the black bird that was cut from the middle. The display looked beautiful this morning!

Yes, that is a squirrel down there eating all the leftovers! And no, I didn't wash my windows before putting them up. Don't judge me! We ended up making a couple more today for the bottom windows as well. Hopefully we won't have any more feathered friends flying into our windows!

Kool-Aid Fireworks

Here's a quick and fun craft for Independence Day. You'll need Kool-Aid, Q-tips, a spray bottle filled with water, and thick white paper. We used construction paper, but it curled when it got wet so card stock paper might be better.

I chose red and blue Kool-Aid for the holiday, but any colors would look great. First you take pinches of Kool-Aid powder and drop them on your paper in small mounds.

Then you use a Q-tip to spread the powder out into several small lines.

Just start in the center and pull it out. Add a slight curve to the line to make it resemble a firework bursting. Then spray your paper with water from about a foot or two away. The colors burst to life! (Pun intended.)

The more water you use, the more it will blend and dissolve so it's up to you how much you want to use. I don't like using a lot because the powder gives it some texture. I have a mixed age-group in my care so for the older ones (3 and 4 years), I told them to try to make the bursts. They did great!

This was after one spray:

This was after two:

I ended up doing about four sprays, making sure all the powder got wet.
For the younger child (2 years old), I just let him sprinkle the Kool-Aid on his paper and then I sprayed it with water. Still cool!

And it smells great! But it will stain the fingers, so keep that in mind. Because it's made with Kool-Aid and it's summer, this isn't a project you want to hold on to for long. It's sticky and ants will be sure to find it. So enjoy it for awhile and then toss.

Here are some other projects we made with Kool-Aid!
Kool-Aid Art
Kool-Aid Rainbows