Looking for an easy craft to do with your kids while you read The Green Ember together. Here’s a fun stained glass suncatcher craft to add to your plans!
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This Green Ember suncatcher came to be as my daughter and I finished reading S.D. Smith’s The Green Ember with our FaceTime Book Club friends. We wanted to create something to document our time reading it, but that would also capture the spirit of story. Using this Celebrate a Book guide for inspiration, we grabbed our craft supplies and made this fun suncatcher.
How to Make Your Green Ember Stained Glass Suncatcher Craft
Ready to get started with your Green Ember Stained Glass Craft? Here’s what you’ll need:
Green Ember-Inspired Stained Glass Supplies
- construction paper
- clear contact paper
- tissue paper
- scissors
- pencil
- hole punch (optional)
- string (optional)
Once you’ve gathered the craft supplies, you can move on to the first step.
Step 1. Sketch it out.
The first step is to prepare the window. Trace the shape of your choice onto a piece of black construction paper. (We used a large lid to a bowl to guide our circle tracing.)
When you’re finished with the outline of the window, cut it out (or have your kiddo cut it out). To cut out the inside of the window, carefully poke a hole in the center of the window shape and use it as a starting point to cut the opening inside.
Next, choose a simple image or two to feature in the stained glass suncatcher. We chose two swords in the spirit of #rabbitswithswords, but you can look at illustrations in The Green Ember books for inspiration. Then use the chosen illustration(s) to guide you as you sketch the shape onto another sheet of black construction paper.
After that, cut out the focal items and set them aside with the window cutout. Worth noting, you can add some details to these cutouts if you wish, but you can leave them blank like we did if you prefer a silhouette look.
Step 2. Prepare contact paper.
Using the window cutout as a guide, let your kiddo estimate the amount of contact paper needed. Then cut out the paper and repeat the process again. This second sheet will provide the backing needed to seal the suncatcher craft.
Step 3. Add gift tissue.
Next, remove the backing from one sheet of contact paper and carefully place it on your work surface sticky side up. Then position the window cutout on the sticky sheet.
When the window is in place, press The Green Ember cutouts into the inside the window in your preferred position. Then have your kiddo add bits of gift tissue to the center of the window by pressing them carefully onto the open spots of contact paper. You can use one or two colors for this, create patterns, or apply these tissue paper pieces randomly. Anything goes here.
We keep a container full of tissue paper squares for projects like these, but you can also have your kiddo rip little pieces of the tissue for this part.
Step 4: Seal and cut.
When the center of the window is covered with the tissue paper, carefully seal it by removing the backing on the second sheet of contact paper and pressing the sticky side onto the exposed side of the window.
Next, carefully cut around the outside of the window. And lastly, punch a single hole in the top center of the window and tie a loop of string through it.
When you’re finished with that step, hold your Green Ember suncatcher up to a window and enjoy!
Looking for more book-inspired art ideas? We’ve got you covered: