This beautiful butterfly craft for kids helpds kids explore science by making stunning chromatography butterflies! This easy butterfly craft is fun for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th graders. Besides creating a fun butterfly craft idea, you will learn about chromatography for kids. This is a fun coffee fitler craft, spring science experiment or summer activity for kids!
Chromatography butterflies
I love when art and science come together. This STEM project allows kids to explore the science of chromatography while making a pretty butterfly craft for kids. First, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4 students will explore chromatograpy for kids. Next, they will turn their color experiment into lovely chromatography butterflies! This cheerful spring craft for kids is a great way to learn, explore, and create! You can also use this easy butterfly craft as a summer craft for kids or as part of a butterfly theme to sneak in some butterfly science!
Chromatography butterfly
All you need are a few simple materials to make this fun butterfly project:
- coffee filters (one per butterfly)
- markers (we found the colors in these mr sketch markers worked the BEST)
- glass
- water
- binder clip
- craft stick (stick, or knife would work too)
- clothespin
- paint (optional)
- pipe cleaners
Chromatography butterfly craft
The first step is to explore chromatography for children. Start by drawing concentric circles at different intervals and different thickness with mr sketch markers on coffee filters.
Chromatography for Kids
Now fold in half, then half, then half again.
Easy butterfly crafts
Attach at sidest part to a craft stick with binder clip. Now set it over a glass of water so there is just enough water so the end of the coffee filter barely touches.
Butterfly science activities for preschoolers
The water will start moving up the coffee filter almost immediately. This happens quickly!
Butterfly chromatography
When the water has moved over just shy of the top of the coffee filter paper remove it, unfold and allow to dry. You see why I said you need to try  mr sketch markers for chromatography experiments?! THe colors are so vivid and bold and absolutely stunning!
What is Chromatography?
Chromatography is the separation of a mixture by passing it in solution which the components move at different rates. Marker inks are made from many different colored dyes that together make the color you see when you colour with the marker. This darker the color, the more dyes that are used to get that exact shade of black or purple! Each color dye is made up of different chemicals which may be heavier or lighter than other dyes and as such they travel at different speeds as the water moves them up the paper. The lighter dyes move quickly up the paper while the heavier dyes may separate out first, but move more slowly. This creates the cool effect of this chromatography experiment. Because these are water based markers they will seperate in water; permament markers will not seperate in water, but will in alcohol.
Butterfly crafts for kids
Now comes the craft part. We are going to take this pretty, colorful coffee filters into a butterfly. After all, they are WAY to pretty to just throw out! Paint the clothespin, or color with marker if you want to have a colorful butterfly body. Then gather the coffee filter in the middle with the clothespin to make a butterfly.
Easy butterfly craft
If you like you can add details with your markers, add googly eyes or use pipe cleaners to make antenna to attach to the clothespin.
Butterfly Craft
Isn’t it so pretty!
Science Craft
I love when art and science meet! This project starts out with a chromatrography for kids science experiment. Next you take the gorgeous, bold and vivid colored coffee filters you created to make a pretty butterfly craft that is so simple, yet so stunning
Chromatography Science
Explore this fun science concept more with these chromatography projects:
- Stunning Chromatography Flowers
- Why do Leaves Change Colors? A fun chromatography activity for kids
- Permanent Marker Experiment in chromatography for kids
- Snowflake Chromatography Science Craft
- Chromatography Butterflies
Butterfly Activities for Kids
Looking for more fun butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, and butterfly printables to add to your day or butterfly theme? Try these:
- Butterfly Math – addition mats for pre-k and kindergarteners
- Number Sense butterfly activities for preschoolers
- Free printable Butterfly missing addend game for Kindergarten
- Count to 10 Butterfly Math Ten Frame Punch Cards
- Butterfly Addition Puzzles
- Kindergarten Butterfly Addition and Subtraction Worksheets
- Free Counting Butterflies Worksheets
Butterfly Printables
- FREE Printable Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheets
- Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet Pack for kids
- Life Cycle of a Butterfly Worksheet and Observation Book
- B is for Butterfly activities for toddler and preschoolers
- Butterfly Puzzles Printable Rhyming Games
- Free printable Butterfly Life Cycle PrintablesÂ
Butterfly Crafts
Looking for more fun butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, and butterfly printables to add to your day or butterfly theme? Try these:
- Try this crafty science project to make stunning chromatography butterflies
- Tissue Paper Butterfly Craft for Kids
- 29 Pretty Butterfly Crafts for Kids
- Shaving Cream Butterfly Craft
- Butterfly Life Cycle Crafts w/ Free Printables
Butterfly Crafts for Preschoolers
- Cute Bowtie Pasta Butterfly Craft for Kids
- Pasta Butterfly Crafts for Kids
- Butterfly Suncatcher Craft
- Simple Toilet Paper Roll Butterfly Craft for Kids
- Pop-up Butterfly Craft
- Pasta butterfly craft
Summer Fun
Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:
- Marshmallow Shooters – go over 30 feet!
- 2 ingredient Easy Slime Recipe
- How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
- Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
- Handprint Strawberry Craft for Summer
- Grow Your Own Crystals
- Water Balloon Experiment – exploring densit with an EPIC summer activity for kids
- Amazing Bubble Painting
- Mind Blowing Color Changing Playdough
Summer Activities for Kids
- Egg Shell DIY Chia Pet Craft – Silly Spring / Summer Activities for Kids
- Grass Head Craft for Kids
- Blow GIANT bubbles with this Homemade Bubble Solution
- Outrageously FUN Bubble Painting
- Bleeding Tissue Paper Fireworks Craft
- Beautiful Flower Suncatcher Craft
- 30 Fun June Crafts for Kids
- Must try Lego Zipline
- Exploding Watermelon Science Experiment
- Homemade Chalk Recipe
- 75+ FUN Scavenger Hunts for Kids
- Find activities by month with our June Crafts for kids or our June Activities for Kids!
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