Bottle Print Flowers

A great way to make more use of a plastic bottle in the recycling bin is to create Bottle Print Flowers with it! Out of all our spring activities for kids, this one is unique for being simple and resourceful.

I was visiting another blog and saw Flower Prints From Soda Bottles, and I knew I wanted to try it and add my own spin to it. Kids are bound to love this easy and colorful craft!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE BOTTLE PRINT FLOWERS?

• Empty plastic bottles (we used one liter, two liter and pint bottles)
• Tempera paint
• Tray
• Large white paper
• Green construction paper
• Glue

HOW DO YOU MAKE BOTTLE FLOWERS?

I squirted 4 colors of paint on a tray (you could use less or more, but my girls sometimes get overwhelmed with too many choices).

I showed the kids how they could hold a bottle and dip it in the paint so that the bottom of the bottle would get thoroughly coated.  Then we pressed the bottles onto the paper to make our bottle print flowers.  I liked that I used the different bottles because each one had a different bottom which resulted in a nice variety of flowers.

We are big Disney theme park fans in our house and A already sees hidden Mickeys everywhere.  Maybe the brainwashing is working!  I had to laugh when she made some prints and said "look, it's a Mickey head!"  That's my girl!

They did many, many bottle print flowers and I almost ran out of places to put all the drying pictures. This ended up being a 2 day project since I got the idea that it would be cute to add some stems and grass to our paintings when they had dried.  So the next day, I taped another piece of paper to their finished paintings and drew some stems on the flowers.  If you have an older child you could have them draw the stems.  I think pipe cleaners glued on the paper would make adorable stems too.  For the grass I gave the girls some green construction paper to tear.

I then provided the girls with some recycled applesauce cups filled with Elmer's glue and a water color paint brush.  They carefully glued the torn "grass" on the bottom of the paper.

See how careful they are being?  Well that lasted about 3 minutes and then they started being un-careful and just putting the grass wherever they darn well pleased.  Luckily they ran out of green paper before they could cover up the all the prints.  Maybe the grass had just been mowed and a strong wind came along and blew it everywhere.  Yes!  Now that I think about it that must be what they were trying to convey.  My daughters are geniuses!

GOT A CRAFTY KID? 

The folks at Annie's know crafting, so you know they have put together some amazing kits for your kids.

For girls:

The Creative Girls Club subscription box will get your girl's creative juices flowing. Girls get two kits each month full of crafting fun. Best of all, the crafting can be done with minimal adult supervision. While she is creating, she will be learning valuable skills such as painting, beading, stitching, paper crafting, and much more!

For boys and girls:

These Young Woodworkers Kits have everything your little builder needs to create crafts and toys they can enjoy, while learning important woodworking skills along the way. Your child's first three kits will include 5 kid-sized, high-quality tools they'll use again and again. A new woodworking project is delivered every four weeks, with a new and exciting skill to master. Each project teaches a real world skill that kids will use for years to come.

For more flower activities check out:      

• Tissue Paper Flower Art Activity
• Flower Activities for Kids
• Handprint Flower Craft
• Making Sponge Flowers
• 10 Flower Activities
• Fruity Pebbles Flower Craft