Easy DIY Apple Suncatcher Craft with Melted Beads
Suncatchers are a simple, yet beautiful way to decorate the windows in your house. There are many different DIY ways to create your own suncatchers at home. My favorite way is by melting beads in the oven to create colorful and unique designs! I’m sure once you see how easy these apple suncatcher crafts are to make, they will become a favorite in your home too.
Recommended Grade Level:
Apple Suncatcher Craft Supplies:
- Plastic pony beads
- Metal cookie cutters
- Baking pan
- Aluminum foil
- Drill fitted with ⅛ inch drill bit (optional)
Small bead activities like this apple melting beads for kids activity are awesome for working on fine motor skills!
What Are Fine Motor Skills?
Why is fine motor practice important?
FINE MOTOR SKILLS ARE THE SKILLS THAT ALLOW US TO USE THE SMALL MUSCLES IN OUR FINGERS AND WRISTS.
Some examples of activities our fine motor skills help us do:
- Tying shoes
- Zipping up jackets
- Picking up small objects with our thumb and pointer finger
- Writing and coloring
Why Are Kids Crafts Great For Fine Motor Skills:
Activities like this melted beads apple craft idea for kids are the perfect way to help children strengthen their fine motor skills.
Crafts are great for working on fine motor skills because they typically require kids to use glue sticks, cut with scissors, or do other small movements with their hands and fingers that help strengthen their muscles.
Materials For This Melting Beads Craft:
- Plastic pony beads
- Metal cookie cutters
- Baking pan
- Aluminum foil
- Drill fitted with ⅛ inch drill bit (optional)
How To Make An Adorable Melted Plastic Beads Suncatcher:
Instructions For This Apple Suncatcher Craft:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare your baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil. This will make for quick clean up and will make it easier to release your finished melting pony bead project from the pan.
Place the apple shaped metal cookie cutters onto your pan.
Fill the cookie cutters with a single layer of pony beads. You can use various shades of red for the apple and green for the stem.
Use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to help arrange the beads into a single layer.
When you are ready for melting the beads in the oven, carefully place the pan into the oven. (If you have ever wondered can pony beads be melted in the oven, the answer is yes!)
After about five minutes start to check on your melted pony bead craft. It can take about 15 minutes to fully melt the beads in the cookie cutter, but the time can vary depending on your oven.
The suncatcher is ready to be taken out of the oven when the beads are melted and the holes in the beads have disappeared.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the suncatchers to cool completely before trying to remove them from the pan and cookie cutters.
Gently pull the sides of the cookie cutter away from the apple suncatcher to remove it.
You can drill a hole in your suncatcher if you want a hole for threading ribbon through to hang your bead ornament.
Extend the Activity:
Window Painting
Use washable paint to paint a tree on your window. Decorate the painted tree with your suncatchers and create an apple tree.
Give a Gift
This apple theme craft for preschool can make an adorable gift for a teacher to hang on their Christmas tree or in their window any time of the year.
Color Sorting
Sort your beads in a muffin tin by color to work on color sorting and for more fine motor skill practice.
More Melted Bead Activities You’ll Love:
Looking For More Fun Apple Ideas?
Looking For Even More Apple Activities?
- Apple I Spy ‘Flip’ Board Game
- Apple Theme Alphabet Spin and Stamp Game
- Apple Theme 2D Shapes Printable
- Apple Counting Grid
- 30 Amazing Apple Activities For Kids
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