This year, the children are making beaded suncatchers for our teachers as a "thank you" for all they do, sharing their light of knowledge with us! Ah, who am I kidding? I can't pay 'em, but they get a sweet gift every year. :)
Materials List:
- Wire (26 gauge is good, but can go thicker, too)
- Glass beads
- Macrame metal hoops, handmade wire hoops (5” in diameter or so), or mason jar sealing ring (used in pictures)
Instructions:
Cut wire into lengths around 14 inches long (for the mason jars, 12” is fine for macrame or wire hoops).
- Wrap around hoop and either twist or loop at halfway point so you have 2 strands of wire to work from. For the younger kids, keep it to 4 strands (or 2 lengths). Older kids can have 6 strands (3 lengths). If they have a design that will use an odd number, just take one of the wires and combine it with another (put two wires in each bead). Depending on the design, the kids may not want them all in one bunch like the photo, and each one will need to be added individually (i.e., random design, far left above).
Start adding beads. As you finish a strand, you can push the wire up so the beads don’t fall off (see photo). As you add beads, make sure you aren’t adding too many by checking the length of the beads to where you want to attach your wire back to the hoop. Come up with creative ways create your decoration - combine wires randomly (like far left, above) or create a symbol (like the peace sign, far right). Other ideas: randomness, hearts, flame, tree...
- Once you are done, it’s time to finish it off on the hoop. Loop it around the hoop and try to get it to twist back on itself. A needle nose pliers may be very helpful here!
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