Nature Suncatcher Craft for Kids
Updated: Jun 25
One summer, I worked as the Outdoor Specialist for a local summer camp. My job was to create nature-based activities that fit into the camp theme for each week. The job was easy enough when the topic was water or dinosaurs, but when when the theme was wheels? All I could think was "what the heck are the kids going to do that week?"
The answer happened to be nature suncatchers.
I know what you're thinking. What does a suncatcher have to do with wheels? All I can respond with is my thought process at the time which was simply: wheels are round, plates are round, and we can easily use nature to prettify these plates. Bam! We had our easy outdoor craft for the week.
Materials
Paper Plate
Contact Paper (I use the Avery Self Adhesive Laminating Sheets)
Scissors
Markers
Glue
Hole punch
Pipe cleaner or twine
Step 1: Pick Out Your Decorations
Any craft where kids are scavenging for items outside is a win for me. Have them use their paper plate as a receptacle for their finds. Anything that can be firmly pressed down, like leaves, flowers, plant parts, and seeds, will work well in their suncatcher.
Step 2: Prepare Your Plate
Time to get crafty! Use scissors to carefully cut out the center of the paper plate. Kids might need help getting started with this step, as you want to be sure that the perimeter of the plate stays intact.
Using the paper plate as a guide, cut out two circles from the contact paper. Make sure that one circle is slightly larger than the other so that the suncatcher is properly sealed later on. Kids can also have some fun coloring their plate to give their suncatcher an extra pop.
Step 3: stickify your canvas
Peel off the paper side of your contact paper ( I find it helpful to use a a weeder tool for this part) and stick one of your circles onto your plate. You now have a beautiful canvas!
Stick the nature items to the plate. Once your kids are satisfied with how it looks, seal the suncatcher by adding the other contact paper circle. Make sure to press down firmly so that everything stays together.
Step 4: Add Finishing Touches
You could always end at step 3, but we're here to make a suncatcher, so why not add a touch of sunshine? Cut out some triangles from construction paper and glue them to the suncatcher. Now your craft truly lives up to its name!
Step 5: Hang Your Suncatcher
Punch a hole at the top of the plate and add a pipe cleaner or some twine by which you can hang your craft. Admire how the suncatcher looks in the light!
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