Silver Lining: DIY Tissue Paper Stained Glass for Kids

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Claire's new favorite activity is unrolling toilet paper and ripping it up. It's the best thing that's happened to her since she figured out how to steal my keys from my purse and set off the car alarm through the window. :) One day last week, I was cleaning up tiny toilet paper shreds from the bathroom floor, and I figured it was about time I give her some actual paper to rip up!

And thus this craft was born. I'm actually really excited about how this turned out. I'm going to show you how to laminate tissue paper to make paper stained glass art for your windows.

MATERIALS:

Scotch™ Thermal Laminator and Scotch™ Laminating Pouches (I got mine at Walmart in the school supply section right at the front, but it's also back by the stationery. I want to try those fancy no-heat self-laminating pouches too.)

Tissue paper, various colors

Dry erase marker

Scissors

That's it!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Decide on your scene. Scroll down a bit further for lots of scene ideas! When I decided on my desert scene, I made a few stencils out of construction paper to make it easier.

2. Rip your tissue paper into small pieces (mine were about a quarter inch square). This is the fun - and dare I say therapeutic? - part. Kids will love this step!

3. Turn on your Scotch™ Thermal Laminator so it has time to heat up. Open your lamination pouch and sprinkle water over the area that will be used. This step really helps the tissue paper to stick to the pouch so the tissue scraps don't blow away when you exhale :)

4. Pile your tissue paper shreds onto the area that will be used. One layer creates a nice transparent look, while about 3-4 layers makes a bright opaque color.

5. Carefully close the lamination pouch and laminate it! Make sure you put the sealed side in first!

6. Let it cool for a second, and then use the dry erase marker to draw your outline on the lamination pouch. Older kids would love drawing their own outlines! And since they're drawn with dry erase markers, you can easily erase mistakes along the way.

7. Cut out your shapes! Buff away any dry erase marks around the edges and use Scotch® Brand Tape to display in them in a window!

SCENE IDEAS

For teachers: How awesome would it be for every student in your class to make a fall leaf for back to school! They can each write their name on it in permanent marker, and then you can tape them to the window for a colorful, personalized decoration.

The Four Seasons: When you're teaching your preschooler or toddler about seasons, it would be awesome to represent the four different seasons with art. Think snowflakes for winter, a flower or two for spring, a big sunshine for the summer, and colorful leaves for the fall.

Other Scene Ideas: I really loved my desert scene with two different types of cactuses, a sunshine, and a snake. In the winter, how could would it be to make a snowman, some snowflakes, and a Christmas tree! How about a spider, a pumpkin, and Frankenstein's head for Halloween?!

_______________________

We hung our desert scene in a window, and our little toddler goes over and looks at them about a million times a day. I don't feel like these pictures really do it justice, but they really do look so colorful and pretty with the light coming through the window. One time, when we were touching our little laminated paper desert, I told her that cactuses are sharp. "Cactus, ow!" I said, and pulled my hand away. And now every time she touches them she pulls her hand away like I did and says, "Ow!" It cracks me up.