Coffee Filter Butterfly
This Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft is a quick and easy activity kids will love, using just a few simple supplies to create colorful butterflies with minimal mess and prep!
Not only is this Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft pretty, but it’s super easy to make with household supplies. All you need are basket coffee filters, pipe cleaners, markers, a tray or pan and spray bottle.
To make a butterfly, color the coffee filters, mist with water then let them dry. After they are dry, create a fan fold and twist a pipe cleaner around the center to create butterfly antennas and spread the wings apart.
That’s all you need to do for this easy butterfly art activity.
The hardest part of this easy kid’s craft is waiting for the coffee filters to dry. It’s perfect anytime of the year, but especially cute to make as a spring craft just like this easy Toilet Paper Roll Frog.
Every butterfly you make with the coffee filters will be as unique as each child because they will draw different designs and use different colors.
Why You’ll Love This Craft
- Kids of all ages will have so much fun decorating the butterfly wings with different designs and colors.
- This is a great craft to make in the classroom in the spring when kids are learning about the life cycle of butterflies. Plus this is a bit of a science experiment. Kids will learn how the water dissolves the colors and makes them move through the filters.
- Coffee filter butterflies are a fun, colorful wall or window decoration for your child’s bedroom if they want!
Supplies Needed For Coffee Filter Butterflies
- Coffee filters – We used an 8 cup basket coffee filter.
- Pipe cleaners – Glittery pipe cleaners are fun for this project, but any pipe cleaner will work. We like to match the pipe cleaner to the colors we use on the coffee filter. You can also use a clothespin to pinch the filters together.
- Washable markers – We love these tropical colors to create a fun palette, but any marker color will work. Bingo dabbers are great for this craft, too!
- Spray bottle – Head to the dollar store to grab inexpensive spray bottles for your water.
- Tray – Any tray or even a cookie sheet will work for this craft.
How To Make Coffee Filter Butterflies
Arrange two coffee filters on top of each other.
Have fun coloring your coffee filter and making your design.
After you have colored the coffee filter, take the spray bottle and mist the coffee filter until the colors start to blend.
After they have been misted and the colors blend separate the filters and set them aside to dry. We like to put them on paper towels so they dry faster.
Once your coffee filters are completely dry, fold them up accordion style.
Place the two folded strips (the filters that were colored together) on top of each other and wrap a pipe cleaner around the center, twisting tightly to keep them together.
Then curl the end of each pipe cleaner to make them look like butterfly antennas.
Carefully open the filters and fluff them to make them look like wings.
Pro Tips
- You do not want to make these sopping wet because they will take longer to dry. Just get them wet enough to start to blend the colors.
- If you want to do a bit more of a science experiment, you could use water in an eye dropper to drip water onto some of the coffee filters to discover which method makes the color spread better.
- Be sure to leave a little bit of white space between colors so they can blend together once wet.
How To Make Accordion Folds
To fold them up accordion-style simply make a fold about a quarter inch big. Then flip the filter over and fold again. You will repeat this process until you reach the end of the coffee filter.
Why Do I Use Two Coffee Filters?
This is not necessary, but it gives these butterflies a uniform color to them. The color and creative designs run onto the second filter as you spray the coffee filters.
How Can I Dry The Coffee Filters Quicker?
After spraying them down, I move them to a counter lined with paper towels. If you’re in a hurry, you can place them onto a cooling rack to help airflow. I also dry them out by blotting them with paper towels after the colors have blended.
How Do I Fluff The Wings Without Crushing Them?
I find it would be best to gently grab both ends of the coffee filter and gently pull them apart. Some of the creases might get crushed down, but that’s okay.
Kids will have a blast making these colorful butterflies out of coffee filters. Whether you’re getting into the summer spirit or spending time inside on a cold winter day, this fun, low mess activity is sure to brighten up anyone’s day!
If you take a picture of your coffee filter butterflies and share them on Instagram make sure to #kidsactivityzone or tag us @kidsactivityzoneblog so we can see them!
Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft
Instructions
- Arrange two coffee filters on top of each other.
- Color the coffee filter with your favorite colors in the design of your choice.
- Spray the coffee filters with the water until the colors start to blend. Separate the filters and allow them to dry.
- Fold your coffee filters in an accordion-style fold. Place the filters together, then wrap a pipe cleaner
around the center, twisting it tightly to keep them together. Curl the tops of the pipe cleaners to look like butterfly antennas. - Open the filters and adjust them to make them look like wings.
More Easy Butterfly Crafts
- It’s easy to make a cute butterfly out of a toilet paper roll. These Toilet Paper Roll Butterflies are always a hit.
- There’s nothing more precious than a craft made with a kid’s handprint. That’s why we adore these easy Handprint Butterflies!
- Raid the craft cupboard because you only need two supplies for an easy Pony Bead Butterfly. I know you’ve got pony beads and pipe cleaners in there somewhere!
- Make a cute garland out of Yarn Butterflies to hand in the kids’ playroom. This is a fun decoration everyone can help with.
Place between 2 paper towels & blot to get excess water out, then hold paper towel & coffee filter together, use hair dryer… dries in 2 minutes! Great for impatient 5 yr olds!