Make It Monday: Coffee Filter Butterflies

Coffee filters are cheap, easily accessible, and versatile. They are also so fun!

Supplies:

coffee filters                                            googly eyes 

markers                                                  pipe cleaners

clothes pins                                            glue  

spray bottle of water                               newspaper

pom-poms

Place all the supplies on the table and take a picture.

Color, color, color the coffee filters. The more color the better.

Use the spray bottle to spritz the filter with water.

Take time to spray yourself.

. . . or your sister.

The water makes the colors bleed and run on the filter.  The spray bottle was definitely their favorite part. Alyssa would scribble a single mark on a coffee filter and ask to spray it. Make sure you have lots of newspaper handy. I covered the table in a few layers and added more periodically throughout the activity. I also had to refill the spray bottle.  If you douse the filter with too much water, the color will run off. It did not matter how many times I tried to explain this to them though. Did I mention they liked the spraying part?

Once the filters dry, which will take a looong time unless you remove them from their personal pool of water, begin assembling the butterflies.

Pinch the filter in the middle and clip it with the clothes pin. Glue on  pop-poms, eyes, and antennae.

Fly your butterfly around.

Or just show it off.

While you are assembling the butterflies, do not allow the baby at the table. If you do, he might knock over a cup of water, spilling it all over the coffee filters again. Since you will have already put the newspapers into the recycle bin, you will set the wet filters on the counter so you can wipe up the table and floor. Then, you will notice the lovely Easter egg decorations that now adorn your kitchen counter because the marker was reactivated.

Then, you will call your mom and thank her for introducing you to Soft Scrub because that is the only thing that removes marks from your kitchen counter.

At least, I imagine that is what would happen if the baby is at the table. I can't say for certain.