by Meredith Brustlin, CMNH Educator

I love this art activity. It’s easy to do with items you probably already have at home. It’s such an interesting and fun process-art activity that your young artists will probably want to try it again and again and again!

Materials:

• White basket coffee filters
• Washable markers
• A binder clip 
• A pencil/straw/craft stick
• Clothespin
• Small pieces of colorful paper or pipe cleaners

Directions:

• Give each young artist a coffee filter and invite them to create a circular design on it using washable markers
• Once finished, fold the coffee into a triangle
  • Attach a binder clip to the top/wide end of the triangle
  • Slide a pencil through the top of the binder clip
• Put a tiny bit of water into a glass or jar
• Place the triangle in the jar
  • The pencil will help to hold the triangle in place across the top of the cup or jar so that it does not fall in
  • There should be JUST enough water that the tip of the triangle is barely touching

• Watch closely as the water climbs up the coffee filter triangle!
  • What happens to the designs?! 

• When the water has climbed all the way up, carefully remove the pencil and binder clip and unfold your triangle
• Place it on a drying rack and let it to dry fully
  • This should take about 20 minutes

Assemble your butterflies!

• Scrunch the coffee filter up to make wings
• Clip a clothespin in the middle to make the bod
• Add small pieces of colorful paper to the top to make some antennae 
• Draw a happy face on your butterfly!