What we did with our colorful coffee filters

With the school year running out, students had some fun creating with the "tie-dye" coffee filters they had created (with markers and a spray bottle filled with water).

I'm not a coffee drinker, but...

But boy do I love these giant coffee filters!!!


I left this project for my sub to begin while I was out, and boy are the results coming out spectacular! It started when I was given about a ZILLION giant coffee filters, from the nearby convenience store. How could I say no??

Each student (in this case, 3rd graders) got one filter and a 12" square of white paper. Their name went on the white paper, and the coffee filters were colored with Crayola markers, NOT the ones labeled "washable".They had to pay careful attention to the order of the wheel to prevent their filter turning to mud.

When the filter was colored, it was placed on top of the white paper, and brought to the "spray station". The filter was sprayed with water, and put away in the drying rack on top of the white paper. In all these photos, the dried filter is on the left, the white paper "print" from underneath is on the right.

The kids are cutting up the filters to make them into tie-dye T-shirts, etc, and hung on a bulletin board with a "clothesline". The white papers are being drawn/doodled into with Sharpies. I'll show you some when they are done. Two projedcts for the price of one!!

These filters would also make fabulous flowers, wouldn't they? And I'm also thinking Chihuly... I'm going to play with them to see what will work to make them hold in curved shapes.


Meanwhile, my sub is going to make them with kids in a summer program at her church, and they are going to stuff them and make them into fish with tissue paper tails, etc. Cool, huh? I want to do a project with them earlier in the year next year, so I have a chance to display them!