suncatchers – Roylco

Find out how we used our Bug Rubbing Plates to make stunning suncatchers! The raised edges on our rubbing plates make it easy to develop impressions of the assorted designs. Create beautiful prints using simple materials!

Age: 5+

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Lesson Objectives: Exercise fine motor skills. Use one hand to hold designs down, while coloring with crayon using the other hand. Create art project with different mediums. Develop art project using process-based applications, while achieving visually pleasing results. Use main imagery of rubbing plates to discuss animal biology and ecology.

You’ll Need:

• R5843 Bug Rubbing Plates

• Crayons

• Clear plastic page covers

• Rubber grip mat

Optional:

• Tape

The rubbing plates come in a wide variety of designs, and are great for exploring thematic subjects while developing fine motor skills. Our Insect Rubbing Plates, very similar to our Bug Rubbing Plates, were memorably used in a textile printmaking process, featured in a guest post. The plastic plates are made specifically for small hands to work with, so your students will appreciate how easy it is to work with the plates.

The process is quite simple: Place a rubbing plate underneath a canvas. Rub a crayon across the canvas to produce the rubbing plate pattern line-for-line! It’s a great way to make multiple prints while experimenting with different crayon colors or materials.

Grab the materials you’ll need for this activity. It’s a good idea to cover your workspaces with a craft tablecloth that will catch any crayon shavings from your students’ projects.

Place the rubber grip mat onto the tablecloth. This type of material can be find at most dollar variety stores. This will eliminate the need for taping anything to the actual tablecloth, however, if you feel you need a better hold on the canvas, tape is another option.

Center the rubbing plate on top of the rubber grip mat.

The plastic page cover can be located at office supply stores. Place that on top of the rubbing plate.

Choose darker crayon colors for this activity. Some of our art campers used lighter colors, but you can add defining lines with a layer of darker crayon. Unwrap the crayon from its paper wrapping and use the long side of the crayon to rub across the plastic sheet. Rub primarily over the rubbing plate’s raised design to get the best effect.

Depending on how light the crayon color, students might not get to see their designs until they are finished. This is a good way to get students guessing what their final pieces might look like.

Once you are finished, lift up the plastic page cover from the rubbing plate to reveal the design!

You can cut the design out from the plastic page cover and punch a hole at the top. Hang the designs on a window!

Thanks to our creative crafters for starring in this craft post!

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Most beaded suncatcher projects require one of the following: spending a lengthy amount of time to thread the beads into an intricate design, or melting down the beads together in the oven (say NO to plastic fumes)! This suncatcher uses simple materials that are readily available in your classroom!

Use fine motor skills to trace the shape onto the transparent sheet. Carefully spread a thick layer of glue with one hand while holding the shape with the other. Use two fingers to hold bead precisely in place while pressing it into the layer of glue.

Age: 3+

Duration: 10 minutes

You’ll Need:

• R2183 Fancy Stringing Rings

• R58620 Fine Motor Skills Silly Stencils

• Transparency sheets

• Scissors

• Clear glue

• Fine point marker or pen

• String

• Tape

Although melting beads together produces a beautiful stained glass effect, it is hazardous to attempt as the plastic will emit fumes that aren’t good for you and your kids’ health or the smell in your house! Try an alternative option that still produces a neat suncatcher effect without the smell or the hassle!

Transparency sheets can be picked up at any office supply store nearby you. The type I use in this project has a textured side, so that can be used to help the glue stick to the material. Any type of transparency sheet should work, however. Give it a try!

In order to make your suncatcher shape, you will need a basic shape stencil like some of those available in our stencil set. The stencils pop out of a backing, so you get two stencils from one.

Trace the stencil shape onto the transparency sheet. Use a fine point marker or pen to keep the lines light, but just noticeable enough that children are able to cut around it.

Cut out the shapes.

I’ve put a backing behind the shapes so you are able to see them (a bit?) better! Use a hole punch to make a hole at the top of each shape.

Dab on a generous amount of clear glue.

You can spread the glue across the surface of the transparent shape with a Goo Spreader available here or dab on extra glue.

Drop a handful of beads onto the glue layer and spread evenly across. Make sure none of the beads sit on top of each other, but rather, side by side. Fit as many beads as you can on the transparent sheet shape and try not to go over the edge.

Ta-Da! Now, let’s prep them up for the window.

Thread a small amount of yarn or string through the hole and tie the end into a knot.

Use clear tape or a suction cap to hang the suncatchers onto a window. Watch how bright the colors appear when the sun rays hit them!

Tag: suncatchers

Bug Rubbing Plates

Fancy Stringing Rings Suncatchers