Maybe it’s the sun loving Californian in me but I never tire of dreaming up suncatcher ideas! I love a decorative craft that captures the warmth and light from the sun and transforms it into reflections or color within a space. Today I’ve rounded up 5 of the many suncatcher ideas we’ve tried over the years. They are all kid-friendly and use easy to find materials!
What is a Suncatcher used for?
Suncatchers are translucent, colored, or reflective objects that hang in a window or other sunny location and that transform light as it passes through them. Suncatchers are decorative objects and add a bit of color or playfulness in a window.
3 of our featured suncatchers:
How do you make a Suncatcher?
There are so many ways to make suncatchers! The main materials you should look for when making suncatchers are those that are translucent and colorful. Tissue paper, clear beads, markers on plastic, reflective materials such as CDs or mirrored plastic, all of these make for the start of a lovely suncatcher. We love to use glue to bind the materials because it dries clear. We also like to use recycled plastic lids as the form for a lot of our suncatchers because they can contain the glue as it dries.
Transparent vs. Translucent
What is the difference between these two terms?
Transparent describes a material in which light passes through and an image behind it can be distinctly seen. Translucent describes a material which light can pass through but which the image behind it cannot be seen. Think of it as semi-transparent. Most of our suncatchers are translucent.
5 Suncatchers Ideas to Make
We have tried lots of DIY suncatchers over the years and the following are the most fun and successful ones we've made. The crystal suncatcher one is a bit delicate but is a scientific way to "grow" your own suncatchers
DIY Suncatcher: How to Make Cosmic Suncatchers
One of the most popular posts on our blog is our cosmic suncatchers! These are so easy to make and you only need glue, food coloring, toothpicks, and a few leftover plastic lids. You will need some patience with this suncatcher idea but it's worth the wait!
Pasta Suncatcher Craft for Kids
If you have ever dyed pasta you know that you end up with a LOT leftover....since pasta is translucent it's the perfect material to use in a suncatcher! Be sure to use smaller, lightweight pasta shapes and lots of glue!
Art & Science for Kids: Slime Suncatchers
Slime suncatchers make use of all that leftover slime kids forget about once they are done making it...am I right? Because slime is made with glue, it dries into lovely translucent suncatchers that are tacky enough to cling to a window on their own.
Fun Science Experiment: Crystal Suncatchers
These scientific suncatchers are fragile but they are a wonderful add-on project to our overnight crystal gardens project. Grow these delicate suncatchers using a super saturated epsom salt solution.
Dreamy Suncatchers for KidsÂ
These gorgeous suncatchers are made by melting pony beads in a metal form like a muffin tin. They are super strong and beautiful when hanging in a window. Make this lovely suncatcher idea outside on the BBQ for lots of ventilation.
More ideas for creating with light
If you like incorporating light into your crafts check out these other light craft ideas:
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