Bright Blessings!

Here's a fun project that kids enjoy. My two oldest children did this when they were 3 and 5 and we're now doing it again with their younger brother and sister.

Materials:

• coffee filters
• scissors
• water-based paint or markers (like crayola washable markers)
• a bowl of water
• newspapers
• paper towels
• any size paint brush

Directions if you are using markers (prefered method):

First fold the coffee filters into fourths, sixths or eighths and cut different shapes into the folds to make snowflakes. Lay out the newpaper to protect any tabletop or floor surfaces and place the unfolded snowflakes on them.

Then make random lines and scribbles on the snowflakes with the markers. For best results, use black sparingly and space the colors out on the filter. They are not coloring the snowflake, just putting lines on them.

Dip the paint brush into plain water and wet the snowflakes in the middle. The water will slowly be pulled to the outer edges of the snowflake as the filter gets saturated, dragging the colors with it. For best results, use as little water as possible, starting with a little water and add more to the middle as needed.

Transfer the snowflakes onto paper towels and leave the snowflakes to dry.

Directions if using paint:

First fold the coffee filters into fourths, sixths or eighths and cut different shapes into the folds to make snowflakes. Lay out the newpaper to protect any tabletop or floor surfaces and place the unfolded snowflakes on them.

Dilute the paint with plenty of water (I use about 1 part paint to 10 parts water). Dip the paint brush in one color and touch it to the snowflakes in patches. Let the color spread naturally before dabbing on more color. You don't want to soak the snowflake, but you do want it to pull the moisture to all parts of the filter. For best results, use primary colors only (Red, Yellow and Blue) and do not mix the 3 in any one section of the snowflake unless brown is the desired color.

Transfer the snowflakes onto paper towels and leave the snowflakes to dry.

Once they have dried, the snowflakes will have a colorful tie-dye affect. We usually hang them in the window until the end of winter.