Upcycled CD Suncatcher Craft

Do you want to do a fun art activity with items from your house? Upcyle an old CD and your own suncatchers! Preschoolers will have a blast making these! You can hang them on a window or outside on a bird feeder or next to a garden and watch the sunlight reflect on these suncatchers!

Supplies:

• White glue or gel glue

• An old CD (make sure it is one that you and your caregivers will no longer want to use!)

• Gems or rhinestones

• Clear string or fishing line

Step 1- Find a flat surface to work on and grab all the materials needed. Please make sure you get permission from a parent or caregiver to use the CD for your suncatcher.

Tip- Put a place mat or newspaper under the activity, as glue can be messy!

Step 2- Now, we are going to choose what gems or rhinestones that you want to use for the suncatcher. I chose bright colors so that mine will stand out, but you can choose whatever colors or shapes that you like or have on hand. You can use as many gems as you want. I would recommend 10 to 15 gems to fill the whole CD.

Step 3- Once you've chosen your gems or rhinestones, count the number of gems you want to add to your suncatcher. Now, for each gem you chose, put one dot of glue the size of a grain of rice on the shiny part of the CD. For example, if you chose 13 gems for your suncatcher, make sure to put 13 dots of glue where you'd like your gems to go! You can put the gems or rhinestones all together in a group, in a special pattern, or spread them all over your CD. I chose to do put them all around so I could fit more gems on the CD! After putting the glue on, use your fingers to carefully place the gems or rhinestones on the CD.

Step 4- Next, you will wait for your glue to dry! This will take about 10-15 minutes, so while you are waiting, you can look around your house and decide where your finished suncatcher will go!

Step 5- Finally, cut the string or fishing line to be the length of your arm. For our younger friends, please ask an adult for help with this step! To measure your string, lay the string down on the table, and line up your arm next to the string. With your fingers lined up with the string on one end, carefully use the scissors to cut where your elbow is on the string! After you are finished cutting the string, then put the string through the hole of the CD, and tie the string tightly around the CD. If you need help tying the string tightly, please ask for help from an adult!

Step 6- Now you have your finished suncatcher and you can hang it wherever you want! For safety, please ask an adult to help you hang your suncatcher. Make sure it is in a place where the sun is shining on it. The best places to hang it would be in a windowsill where the light reflects on it, or outside in a place where it’s not shaded.

~Made by Sophie L.