DLTK's Holiday Crafts for Kids
Coffee Filter Flower Craft

Coffee filter coloring is a lot of fun to do.  I find it relaxing to sit and watch the colors flow together to make unique patterns.

You can pick any colors you want to make your flower (you don't need to have an Edmonton Oilers theme like we did *grin*).
 

Materials:

• coffee filter
• washable markers (we used crayola brand)
• squirt bottle or small glass of water.
• green pipecleaner (brown or black would be ok too, but green is best)

Note:  You can complete this project using food colouring instead of washable markers.  However!  I find this option to be very messy so would not do it with young children (if they get food colouring on their clothing you won't be able to get it out).  I would only use this option with children over age 10 and even then would want a good amount of supervision and old clothes to be worn.

Instructions:

• Flatten out a coffee filter on a plate.
   
• Scribble the filter with washable markers.  We drew circles around with the markers, but you can just scribble blocks of color instead if you prefer (I try to just let the kids do what they like... younger children will be a bit more random and that's ok)
   
• Use a squirt bottle to spray the coffee filter 2 or 3 times.
   
• I like to squirt right in the center of the filter and then sit and watch the water wick the colours over the filter (this takes 4 or 5 minutes).
   
• Young children will tend to over wet the filter...  The project still works, but it won't turn out quite as pretty (the colours tend to blend too much if you soak the filter)  To help prevent this, encourage them to squirt it just once in the middle and watch for a bit for so they can see the process unfold.  You can always add more water later if it doesn't get wet all the way to the edge after 5 minutes or so.
   
• Let dry (this takes about 1/2 an hour, but will take longer if the filter has been soaked by an over-zealous crafter!)
   
• Cut 2 or 3 inches off your pipecleaner and set this short piece aside.
   
• Poke the end of the pipecleaner through the center of the coffee filter (it does not have to be exactly the center).
   
• Roll about an inch of the pipecleaner end into a tight ball so the coffee filter won't fall off the pipecleaner
   
• Scrunch the coffee filter around the end of the pipecleaner.
   
• Wrap the short piece of pipecleaner you cut off earlier around the coffee filter/pipecleaner to hold them together.
   
• Optional:  fold the stem of the pipecleaner to make a leaf shape.
   
• 'plant' your flower in a small vase, terra cotta pot or paper cup (a little plasticine in the bottom of a small pot or cup will hold the flower upright... add a bit of green tissue paper or easter basket grass to fill the pot or cup).
   
• Or... attach your flower to the front of a card or gift to decorate it.
   
• You can even make a big bouquet of them and use it during dress up playtime!

Printable version of these instructions