Kid's Craft: Coffee Filter Shamrocks

Truth be told, I don't usually craft unless I can craft with my kids. I have so much fun explaining and describing the craft we are about to tackle. I especially enjoy when they add a few twists into the craft and we get to see where our ideas take us. I tend to leave most crafts open-ended with the expectation that they will tailor it to their own imaginations.

The holidays are always a good time to come up with "keeper crafts". Crafts we can create together, that can be used as a holiday decoration for years to come. I am amazed when my children can recall in such detail the time "we made that!" With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be nice to add to our sparse bin of "St. Patty's" decorations.

Building off the idea of the Cupcake Liner Sunflowers I decided we should go a little bigger and a little greener with... Coffee Filter Shamrocks!

This craft was so much fun to create with my little artisans! They loved dipping and swirling each shamrock into the water filled sink. They dropped the green food dye on each petal with such precision! They were so immersed in this craft, I can't wait to come up with another craft based around our sink.

COFFEE FILTER SHAMROCKS

Materials:
White Coffee Filters
Green Pipe Cleaners
Green Food Dye

Directions:

Flatten one coffee filter. With your index finger, pointer finger and thumb pinch the middle of the coffee filter to create three leaves.

Take one pipe cleaner and snake it around the leaves.

Make a whole bunch!

Fill your sink with cold water. Have the kids pull chairs or step stools to the sink so they can easily swirl their shamrock in the water. Have them gently squeeze the excess water from their shamrock.

Next have them drop 1-2 drops of green food coloring on each leaf. (Having them do this over the sink will prevent them from staining your kitchen!)

Allow to dry on a few layers of paper towels.

When they were completely dry, I arranged a few in a small vase. Then, I handed a bunch to each of my children. My son took his bunch to feed to his giraffes and zebras. My daughter took her bunch to make into a necklace. :)