There’s no need to buy expensive craft sand for this project; kids color sugar and turn common items from the kitchen into this playful bunny in just a few fun steps! Not only will they make a cute decoration for spring or Easter, but they’ll learn how to mix colors and practice their measuring skills too.
Supplies:
Empty 16 oz glass jar with lid
3 cups of white sugar
Food coloring (yellow, red, blue, green)
6 re-sealable sandwich bags
Scraps of craft foam or paper
Pom-poms (optional)
Measuring cup
Scissors
White glue
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Here’s How:
1.) Start by putting a little less than a 1/2 cup of sugar into a sandwich bag. Next, drip 10 drops of yellow food coloring into the sugar. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal the top tightly.
2.) Repeat the first step for each color desired, 6 total. Make orange by mixing 3 drops of red and 7 drops of yellow and make purple using 6 drops of red and 3 drops of blue.
3.) Even toddlers can help with this step: shake and squish each bag until the sugar and food coloring are completely mixed. If needed, add more color to achieve the desired shades.
4.) One at a time, cut a corner off each bag and pour the sugar into the jar. To level the layers of “sand”, gently shake the jar before adding another layer of color. To ensure that the final layers won’t shift, fill the jar to the brim before screwing the lid on.
5.) Now, cut bunny features from craft foam or paper and stick them onto the front of the jar using small amounts of glue. Lay the jar down to prevent the pieces from slipping and allow the glue to dry. Cut out ears and fold tabs on the bottom of each one to attach them to the top of the lid. And don’t forget to add a cottontail on the back!
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More ideas:
• Let kids experiment mixing additional colors.
• Don’t use a jar, but make a “bottle bunny” instead.
• For a different look, angle the jar while pouring in each layer of color.
• Try this with corn meal, rice or sand instead of sugar.
• Older kids can leave off the bunny face and “get fancy” with many thin layers of color.
• The colored sugar can be used to make sand paintings or to decorate cookies and desserts!
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Pamela Frye Hauer is an artist, author and mother of two busy little boys. Her craft and scrapbooking projects have appeared in numerous books and magazines. Her most recent book is “Memories in Miniature.”
