Fancy Filters

crayola supplies

• Twistables®
• Washable Markers
• Construction Paper

household supplies

• paper towels
• coffee filters
• spray bottle filled with water

Why

Children's eyes light up as they see color move across coffee filters sprayed with water. Create colorful splashes of color--indoors or outside.

Steps

1. 1. Separate coffee filters. Select several Crayola Washable Marker colors that mix well. Create line and dot patterns across the filters. You can create larger dots if you hold the markers on the filters for several seconds so the filters absorb more color.
2. 2. Place the colored filters on white paper. Lightly spray water onto the filters. Both the filters and the white paper become works of art!
3. 3. For even more fun, first design filters with white Crayola Twistables or Crayons (you can see the designs if you work on a dark surface). Then add marker colors. When you spray the filter, your crayon wax will resist the marker color and "pop" into sight.

When & Where

"Fancy Filters was the perfect activity for our backyard barbecue."
- Pratik B., dad of four, ages 5 to 12.

"This is a fun and easy project that I can easily carry with me to jobs."
- Callie D., teenage babysitter.

Interesting Info

Papers have so many different textures and weights. Coffee filters are especially strong when wet, so they are excellent for color mixing when you want to keep the results of your experiments.

Safety Guidelines

Outdoor Crafts—Choose safe outdoor areas, away from traffic and dangerous equipment. Close adult supervision is required.

© 2000 - 2006 Binney & Smith, Inc.