Crafts, Nature Play, Recipes, Sculpture Play

Bioplastic Suncatchers

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One of my favorite accounts on Instagram, @muddly_puddly is a master of bioplastic creations, and we finally got around to trying it out ourselves.

Bioplastic suncatchers by @muddly_puddly

This is one of the easiest, most versatile methods to create lasting artworks, and we are officially obsessed!

Bioplastic butterfly by @muddly_puddly

To create your own bioplastic suncatchers, you will need just a few ingredients.

Materials

  • Gelatin powder
  • Boiling water
  • String or yarn
  • Loose parts from nature
  • Molds (shallow plastic lids make great molds)

Instructions

  1. Collect loose parts from nature with your little artist.
  2. Model how the materials can be arranged and then invite your little one to arrange their suncatcher designs in the plastic lids.
  3. Create your bioplastic mixture using one part gelatin powder to four parts boiling water.
  4. Pour mixture out into each lid in a shallow layer.
  5. Stick a bit of yarn or string into each mold so you can hang them when finished.

Your sun catchers with take 24-48 hrs to completely harden. They will curl and morph as they harden. You can weigh them down with something heavy if you’d like to help them stay flat.

Personally, I like how the bioplastic changes as it hardens and welcome the transformations to become part of our process.

We will be utilizing this method a lot this summer! I hope you have time to give it a try soon as well. There is so much possibility!

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