Here is what you need:
- Coffee Filters
- Non-Washable Magic Markers. Mine are Crayola Classic Markers.
- Aluminum Foil
Here is what you do:
Make a coloring station by place the aluminum foil under the coffee filter. This will protect your surface from the colors that will run through the coffee filter. Grab an available and willing child, and have him/her color the coffee filter as he/she pleases….
Depending on the child, this could take a while. My 5 year old took his time, drew a map, and then explained everything to me when he was done. Bonus Geography lesson/discussion! (Note: Depending on your child and how he/she feels about art work, you may want to explain what is going to happen when you put the coffee filter in the rain (the colors will all run and mix together). I made it sound “totally cool” so we would avoid a possible melt-down from “ruined” art-work.)
Once the color application part is finished, take the coffee filter – still on the aluminum foil - and place it outside.
Secure the filters in place since it can be windy during a rain storm. We used rocks from our flower beds.
And….wait for the rain….

(photo compliments of my 5 yr old. He was also into taking pictures of this part of the process.)
Then, wait some more….
You may also want to explain, again, what is happening as the rain wets the filters and mixes the colors. My son found it very exciting and interesting to watch as the rain was falling.
Grab an old towel while you are waiting. You will be placing the wet items on it.
When you feel the coffee filters are sufficiently wet, pull everything in, and place them on the old towel.
Let them dry for the finished product.
Thinking of the theme of this project, and using my memories of “groovy” Tie Dye projects from days-gone-by, I colored this:
That turned into this in the rain:
Look at how all of the colors ran together! The kids LOVED watching this, so I took the opportunity to talk to them about color blending: how, during the process of color blending, some colors stay the same, while other colors blend and make a completely different color. They found this to be very cool. And…we had a bonus teaching moment involving art!
Note - Admittedly, this was a hard concept to see with the other filters. I think making the rainbow sample REALLY helped the kids see the true effect of the concept of blending colors. I was really pleased with all of the results this produced, and not just because I made it, but also because it really exemplified the true nature of color-blend.
Here are all of the finished pieces:
Bottom row – my 5 yr old’s.
 Middle row – my 2 yr old’s
. Top – mine.
So, now that we are done, I have a few notes on some variations/different techniques that you may want to try.
- The filters do not need a lot of water – just enough to dampen them. If you look at the results of our first attempt (pictured above), I would say these samples got too much water. It was fine for the first try because it showed that, when wet, the colors blended. But, these samples blended a bit too much for my taste.
- Also, if look at my first sample – the one with the cute doodles – you can see that the final results turned out….well….not that great. I didn’t use enough color, and the color that I did use didn’t blend well. So I ended up with a brownish tinted filter. Not so much fun. The lesson here - the more color, the better!
- I would also set up camp in the garage next time. Once the filters get wet, it will get messy. If we were in the garage, the mess wouldn’t have mattered.
- I would have also dressed the kids in rain gear so I wouldn’t have worried about clothes getting ruined. Plus, if your kids are like mine, they LOVE wearing rain gear! It adds another level of fun to this project.
- Using the aluminum foil adds another level of texture to this. When the filters dry, they will form to the ridges and wrinkles in the foil which will show in the final product (see the cool added texture from the wrinkles in the aluminum foil?)
- You can also do this project without any rain at all (although the rain element does add to the over-all excitement involved in this project). To do this on a non-rainy day, all you would need is a spray bottle full of water to act as your “rain”. Set the nozzle on SPRAY (not STREAM) to simulate a rain shower, and have a blast. I would still do this in the garage with rain gear though!
My kids were happy with our final results. They enjoyed the entire process leading to our final results. However, your kids may need additional steps. Some fun ideas may include:
- Add a pipe cleaner or a wooden dowel to the middle of the filter – just poke it through the middle. Gather filter as you see fit around the pipe cleaner to make Tie Dye flowers like the ones you can get a County Fair type of event. See picture below.
- Cut the filters into varying shapes and sizes and glue onto poster board making a Tie Dye mosaic.
- Feeling brave? For a variation of this project (but in the same vein of color-blending): Grab water color paints, paint brushes (one per color), and some poster board. Give each child his/her own poster board, lay it flat, and let them fling paint at the poster board Jackson Pollock style. I would give good direction and set the ground rules. I would also find a place that you don’t mind getting messy – the drive-way, garage, or in the grass. Again, I would advise dressing the kids in rain or swim gear. Then, I would stand back!
As you can see, this project can lead you anywhere! I am really happy we had some much fun with this project, and that the kids learned as much as they did. And, who knows, even I may feel brave later this summer and let my kids find their inner Pollocks!
Happy crafting! Until next time!
