We have pony bead suncatchers scattered throughout our house.
I think my obsession with suncatchers is because I love to open up windows in the house and let the light inside. We have done melted pony bead suncatchers and touch and feel suncatchers for my baby, but our bug pony bead suncatcher is our new family favorite <–they are just too cute!
Today, the light and reflections series is back to explore animals and nature with light. Since my daughter has had an aversion toward bugs, we wanted to make something that wasn’t creepy.
Materials for Pony Bead Suncatchers
- Clear pony beads <–we received ours free from Craft Project Ideas
- Pipe Cleaners <–received from Craft Project Ideas
- Muffin tin
- {Sticky} Googly Eyes <–received from Craft Project Ideas and they are my favorite craft material because they are googly eye stickers. My 4 year old could use them by herself without any glue – love that!!
How to Make Bug Pony Bead Suncatchers
- Arrange pony beads in a muffin tin (we sorted 2 colors into each tin)
- Place pipe cleaners into the pony beads where you would like the legs and antennae to extend
- Melt in the oven at 400 degrees for around 15 minutes
- Add googly eyes after you have removed your bugs from the muffin tin
My daughter was thrilled to make these adorable bugs. The best part was listening to my 4 year old talk about the different parts of each bug, counting the legs, and deciding whether each bug was a spider or beetle.
If you love suncatchers like we do, be sure to come over to our Facebook page and tell us how you make them in your house!
Be sure to check out the other bloggers in this series!
Animal Prints on a Mirror | And Next Comes L
Vet Office: Exploring x-rays on the light table | Still Playing School
Light Table Nature Mosaics | Where Imagination Grows
These are adorable! I love the googly eyes and legs! Too cute!!!
Thanks, Devany!
OMG (<– yes I just typed that 😉 ) I love love LOVE these Katie!
Thank you, Lisette!
I had my mom try this in her classroom. They turned out good, but the pipe cleaners burned. Any reason why? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Rachel! I think she might have left them in a little too long. As soon as the beads melted together a little bit, I took them out immediately – hope this helps!! Try a lower oven temp, too 🙂
We made these today and my 2 1/2 year old loved them! I was a little worried about the smell of the melting plastic in the oven but it was nothing, I only smelled it once the oven doors were opened and it was gone quick. Thanks for such a cute idea!
Yay! Jenny, that’s fantastic!! I’m so glad you had fun with your little one 🙂 🙂 And, thank you, your sweet comment made my day!!
Love this idea!! What do you use to hang these? Thanks!
Hey Lindsey! These were so light that we just put some tape on the back to put it in my daughter’s window. But if we were to do it again, I’d hot glue some magnets on the back to put on the fridge or you can see how we added some string to our melted pony bead ornaments by hit gluing some string to the back here: http://pin.it/Xy7ReAf. Hope that helps! Ps. Use a small toaster oven outside to help reduce the plastic burning smell and take them out right when they melt to avoid burning the pipe cleaners!