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Chromatography Butterflies – EASY Butterfly Science Craft for Kids

August 30, 2021
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by Beth Gorden

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!

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!

colorful science experiment for kids

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

coffee filter crafts for kids

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 craft for kids

Chromatography for Kids

Now fold in half, then half, then half again.

Chromatography for Kids

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!

What is Chromatography

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!

Make beautiful chromatography butterfllies! Easy butterfly craft is a fun spring science experiment or summer activity for kids!

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 Craft Ideas

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

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.

Chromatography Butterfly Craft

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

Learn how to make these beautiful chromatography flowers using coffee filters and markers. This is both a fun art project AND a simple science experiments for kids that explores colors while making pretty craft flowers for spring and summer.  This STEAM project is the perfect spring activity for toddler, preschoolers, pre k, kindergarteners, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders. Why do leaves Change Colors permanent marker experiment Looking for cute and fun-to-make Christmas or winter craft ideas? You will love this colorful snowflake craft for kids that uses chromatography to create stunning diy snowflake decorations for December and January! These arts and crafts snowflakes are perfect for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and up to make. You've got to try these winter craft ideas!

Chromatography Science

Explore this fun science concept more with these chromatography projects:

butterfly activity  FREE Butterfly Missing Addend - these free printable math clip cards are a fun addition practice activity for kindergarten and first grade kids. #mathgames #addition #kindergarten free printable butterfly addition puzzles for kids Looking for some fun ways to help students practice addition and subtraction? Students will love these kindergarten addition and subtraction worksheets filled with fun butterfly addition to make learning fun with a butterfly theme for spring! Use these cute butterfly worksheets to work on subtraction for kindergarten and addition for kindergarten with super cute, hands-on practice for Kindergarteners. Simply print pdf file with spring worksheets for kindergarten to play and learn with a butterfly activity for kindergarten.

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:

If you are looking for a fun, simple way for kids to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, then you will love these cute butterfly life cycle worksheets. These life cycle of a butterfly printables are perfect for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders. These butterfly worksheets are filled with not only fun information about butterfly life cycle, but no-prep activities for tracing, alphabet matching, counting, butterfly science vocabulary, cut and paste life cycle worksheet, letter puzzles, letter tracing, find the letter, label the butterfly and more! Simply print pdf file with life cycle of butterfly worksheet for kindergarten.  butterfly life cycle worksheets life cycle of a butterfly FREE Butterfly Rhyming Games - this is such a fun spring literacy game to work on rhyming with preschool, kindergarten, and first graders. #rhyming #kindergarten #educationalspring

Butterfly Printables

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! Fun to make Tissue Paper Butterfly Craft This pretty butterfly craft is as fun to make as it is beautiful! This shaving cream craft is surprisingly SIMPLE to make, but with incredibly complex colors in the marbling of painting with shaving cream. Toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and up will want to make this butterfly craft for kids! So add this shaving cream art project to your bucket list of summer crafts for kids! Learn about the life cycle of a butterfly with this super cute, simple Butterfly Life Cycle Craft. In spring we start to see butterflies appear and the amazing metamorphosis that happens as they go from caterpillar to chryssalis to butterfly is super cool. Use this life cycle of a butterfly craft ideas for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students to learn about these amazing insects! Simply print pdf file with butterfly life cycle printable and you are ready to play and learn about butterflies for kids!.

Butterfly Crafts

Looking for more fun butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, and butterfly printables to add to your day or butterfly theme? Try these:

Looking for fun pasta crafts to make with leftover dyed pasta? This super pretty mosaic pasta project allows kids to create beautiful pasta pictures by pressing different colored noodles into clay.  This pasta art is such a fun, engaging craft for kids of all ages from toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders too. Spring is here and that means that the butterflies have returned to delight both young and old with their graceful flight and beautiful wings. Celebrate these beautiful animlas with a fun butterfly craft for kids. This simple butterfly art project uses bowtie pasta to make the butterflies. This pasta craft for preschoolers, toddlers, and kindergartners is sure to be a hit!  Butterfly suncatcher pop up butterfly craft

Butterfly Crafts for Preschoolers

DIY Lava Lamp - super easy way to make your own lava lamp with simple things you have around your house. This homemade lava lamp is such a fun science project for kids of all ages to sneak in some summer learning. This science experiment is for toddlers, preschoolers, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and kids of all ages at home, homeschool, summer camps, classroom, etc. Looking for a really fun and memorable science experiment for kids? You will love these EPIC pop rocks experiment. Try this pop rocks science experiment with preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students to try a simple chemical reaction. This Whether you try this pop rocks science experiments for homeschool science, at a science birthday party, or as part of a summer science project - this is a MUST try,  really cool science experimentkids will LOVE. Take your homemade playdough to a whole new level of FUN with this amazing Color Changing Playdough recipe. This is sure to be a hit with toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, and 2nd grade children alike.  These super EASY to make marshmallow shooters are a must for your summer bucket list. This summer activity for kids is not only fun, but it is actually a STEM activity for kids too! Students assemble, tweak, and design this simple marshmallow cannon to try to get the most distance they can. THis is such a simple, but fun summer activities your preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and elementary age students in first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grdae, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students will want to try over summer break!

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:

If you are looking for a fun unique activity using eggs, you will love this silly egg head craft. This egg shell diy chia pet is cute, simple and silly spring activities for kids. This egg shell craft is fun for toddler, prsechool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, and 2nd graders too! Tin Foil Art Spring is the time for field trips to the local zoo. In an attempt to make our homeschool field trips extra fun (and educational) I created these super cute, zoo scavenger hunt templates. We have lots of choices with these zoo scavenger hunt printable pack to accomidate kids of all ages from toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten to elementary age students in first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students. Whether you use the simple animal scavenger hunt or learn about endagered animals or animal habitats in one of these zoo scavenger hunt ideas - kids will have fun learning about zoology in science. Simply print free printable scavenger hunt pdf file and you are ready to learn about animals with this printable scavenger hunt at your local zoo. This vinegar and baking soda rocket is an out-of-this-world fun AND educational summer activity for kids! Preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students will enjoy making the baking soda rocket. This how to make a bottle rocket project is one of those really cool science projects your kids will remember forever!

Summer Activities for Kids

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About the author

Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables - www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

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