Cotton Ball and Cereal Rainbow Crafts for Spring

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, spring, summer. Use the cotton rainbow crafts for any lesson about the weather, rain or color theory.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, spring, summer. Use the cotton rainbow crafts for any lesson about the weather, rain or color theory. These easy cotton ball rainbow crafts can be easily assembled with everyday arts and crafts items.

Cotton Ball Rainbow Craft for Spring

Chenille sticks in a variety of colors including purple, red, green, yellow, blue and orange.
Cotton balls
Glue
Clear tape
A ribbon

1. Arrange the chenille sticks to look like a rainbow.
2. Bend each one into a curve, or an arc.
3. Younger kids can arrange the colors anyway they want. Instruct older kids learning about primary colors or color mixing, or who insist on doing things the "right way" to place the colors in order seen on a rainbow. Try:

red
orange
yellow
green
blue
purple

4. Secure the rainbow together in the center with clear tape.

5. Glue a handful of cotton balls to each end of the rainbow, to form the clouds.

6. Tie a ribbon around the center of the cotton ball rainbow craft and hang on a bulletin board or from the ceiling.

Fruit Loop Rainbow

Small paper plate
Glue
Colored cereal (Fruit Loops, Fruit Cheerios)

1. Cut a small paper plate in half. Cut out a small half circle from the flat end of the paper plate half.

2. Draw rainbow colors on the paper plate as a guide for kids.

3. Kids can then glue cereal to the paper plate half to make a rainbow.

4. For older kids, you can use non-edible colorful items including beads, sequins or foam shapes.

Rainbow Streamer Window Hanger

Tissue paper, cut into squares
Small paper plate or construction paper
Glue
Party streamers in rainbow colors
String

1. Cut a rainbow shape out of a paper plate or construction paper.

2. Kids can decorate both sides of the rainbow by gluing on rows of tissue paper squares.

3. Glue colored streamers to the bottom of the craft. Place a purple streamer under the purple on the rainbow, the red under the red, the yellow under the yellow and continue until each color has a hanging streamer.

Baby Jar Pot of Gold Rainbow

1 empty baby jar
cotton balls
Chenille sticks cut in half
Glue
Black or gold paint
Aluminum foil or recycled plastic bottle caps

1. Paint the baby jar gold or black. You can use a recycled applesauce or other container, but you will have to weigh down any plastic container with some raw rice or barley pearls.

2. Glue a round piece of paper to the top of the baby jar.

3. Cover the paper with fake coins, make with painted bottle caps or aluminum foil shaped into circles.

4. Poke chenille sticks through the cotton and paper, to make a rainbow.

5. Secure the ends of the sticks with tape. Glue a couple of cotton balls on the ends.