Flower Pencil
20-30 Minutes: 4 and up: Learning - Creative Expression
Flower Pencil
Intro
Create a stylish pencil accessory while building creativity, problem-solving skills and fine motor skills! This pleasant, floral activity will have children experimenting with color combinations while working on their dexterity as they carefully manipulate a coffee filter into a unique and colorful flower!
Set Up ideas
The key to this activity is using lots of vibrant color! Ensure that each child has easy access to a variety of Liquid WatercolorTM paints so that they can quickly grab what they need without having to wait for a bottle to become free. As with any activity in which paint is used, keep cleaning supplies within reach.
Let’s Get Started
Younger children may complete this activity using just one filter. Children ages five and over may use two filters in their flower creation.
STEP 1
Fold the coffee filter in half several times so that it is a conical shape. Then, cut small triangles from the sides in various places.
STEP 2
Using Liquid WatercolorTM in bingo bottles, saturate the coffee filter starting at the tip of the cone.
STEP 3
Continue adding rows of color up along the cone using different colors. Set the coffee fliters out to dry completely. Repeat the steps above with a second coffee filters, using a different selection of Liquid WatercolorTM colors.
STEP 4
Once both filters are dry, lay one on top of the other and pinch them together at the center to create the cone shape of a flower.
Now tape your flower onto the end of a pencil.
This activity is a great accompaniment to lessons on flowers and nature. Ask the children what kinds of flowers they enjoy. Discuss how other creatures, such as hummingbirds and bees, rely on colorful flowers as a source of food.
Tips and Tricks
It is easier to wrap the masking tape if you first cut it into shorter strips rather than 1 long continuous strip.
Follow up Activity
With their stylish new pencil accessory, have children practice writing skills by writing their name, tracing letters and numbers, practicing cursive or completing whatever writing activity is appropriate for their age and ability.
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