Coffee Filter Starfish Suncatcher Craft

Summer is a great time to get crafty with the family and this coffee filter starfish suncatcher is one of our many fun coffee filter crafts for kids of all ages. 

Preschooler through upper elementary age children will enjoy blending colors on coffee filters to create bright, colorful suncatchers.

Depending on their scissor skills, younger children may need some assistance to complete this project, but they can help with the most important part – coloring the filters.

Planning a mermaid or ocean themed birthday party? This starfish craft along with our coffee filter seashell and our coffee filter mermaid tail suncatcher would make wonderful homemade decorations or to use as a craft activity.

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Starfish Coffee Filter Craft

This coffee filter starfish craft uses simple craft supplies you may already have around the house. 

It takes less than 30 minutes to transform a few coffee filters into vibrant starfish suncatchers (plus additional drying time).

It’s a quick and easy kids’ craft that would be fun to include in an ocean theme week for summer camp at home. 

You can do this craft at home, as a family, or with a group such as a homeschool co-op or at school. 

Making coffee filter starfish is also a fun fine motor activity for preschool and kindergarten children that provides coloring, tracing, cutting and gluing practice.

You can also discuss color theory for an additional learning opportunity.

Younger children may need assistance cutting out the center of the starfish shaped suncatcher frame, but older children should be able to cut everything out and assemble it themselves.

Kids of all ages (and adults too) will love spraying the coffee filters with water and watching the colors blend.

It is important to protect your work surface because coffee filters bleed color since they are so thin. 

Place your coffee filters on top of a craft mat, parchment paper, zippered plastic bag, or even a paper plate before spraying with water. 

We do not recommend placing them on top of newspaper though because the newspaper may absorb the colors as your filters dry.

These may require additional drying time depending on how much water is sprayed on the coffee filter during the blending stage.

Using a fingertip water spray bottle can help keep it to a light misting and reduce the amount of water used than a squeeze trigger style water bottle. 

Coffee Filter Starfish Craft Supplies:

• Starfish Suncatcher Template PDF (download by filling out form at bottom of the post)
• 1 Round White Coffee Filter
• Washable Markers in Pink, Purple, Green, Blue
• 2 sheets of Colored Paper in Blue, Green, or Purple
• Glue Stick
• Water Spray Bottle (for color blending)
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Paper Plate, parchment paper, ziploc bag or craft mat

How to Make a Coffee Filter Starfish Suncatcher:

First, flatten out round white coffee filters. You will need one filter for each suncatcher you wish to make.

Lightly color the coffee filter with multiple colors using washable markers.

Kids may use whatever colors they want, but we suggest pink, purple, blue, and green for beachy mermaid vibes.

Place the colored coffee filter on your covered work surface and mist with a water spray bottle to blend the colors. 

Set the wet coffee filters aside to dry. The drying time will vary depending on how much water is sprayed on them.

Print out the starfish suncatcher template (fill out the form at the end of the post) and cut out the starfish frame.

Pinch the template in half, cut a slit in the center, and then cut out the inside of the starfish shape. Younger children may need help with this step or prepare the template ahead of time for them.

Next, trace the starfish frame pattern two times on colored paper. Cut them out with scissors. 

Once the coffee filter is dry, place the suncatcher frame over it until you are happy with how it shows through the frame. 

You can mark where to trim away the excess coffee filter now or carefully cut it off after assembling.

Glue the tie dye colored coffee filter to one of the suncatcher frames with a glue stick. Then flip it over, line up the second frame and glue them together so the coffee filter is in between the two paper frames. 

If needed, carefully trim any coffee filter hanging outside of the starfish frame with scissors. The colored paper should create a nice starfish outline around the brightly colored coffee filter. 

Hang the suncatcher in a sunny window using a loop of string or double-sided tape or use as a decoration anywhere in the house.

More Suncatcher Crafts for Kids

• Apple, Acorn, Leaf Fall Suncatchers
• Bunny Suncatcher
• Heart Tissue Paper Suncatcher
• Christmas Tree Suncatcher

More Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids

• Coffee Filter Campfire
• Coffee Filter Shamrock
• Coffee Filter Bats
• Coffee Filter Turkeys
• Coffee Filter Peacock
• Coffee Filter Ladybug