This adorable cactus craft is perfect for Cinco de Mayo celebrations as well as units in hot, desert climates which makes them the perfect craft to make with preschoolers this Summer!
I love all types of cacti and succulents and this super cute cactus craft is fun to make with bubble wrap printing and tissue paper flowers.
Hello! I’m Jenn from Ever After in the Woods and as an art teacher for 15+ years, I always loved to incorporate different types of household products that were easy to find in our crafts. This bubble wrap printing is a fun technique that your little one will love.
Want more ideas like this? Subscribe today and get our weekly newsletter plus other exclusive gifts and offers — all for FREE!
An easy-to-make cactus craft using bubble wrap, paint, and paper plates with tissue paper flowers will delight the little ones this summer. I love that cacti come in all different shapes and forms so you can make your plants as creative as possible.
This bright and cheery cactus project would make an excellent display if made in sets of 2 or 3 pots. Have your little crafters paint the posts as well for an added special touch.
How To Make Bubble Wrap Cactus Crafts
After learning about cactus plants or desert climates, this fun hands-on project will be the highlight of the lesson. Gather the supplies you need and take them outdoors for an awesome art class “al fresco”.
What You Need:
Here’s what you’ll need from the store. The exact amounts are in the printable craft card at the bottom of this post.
Craft Tools Needed:
Supplies Needed:
- Paper Plates
- Green, Dark Green, and Yellow Paint
- Bubble Wrap
- Small terra cotta pots
- Red, pink tissue paper
- Glue Dots or Glue
Painting with Bubble Wrap
Be sure to let the paint overlap on the bubble wrap (bumpy side up). You want the colors to not be fully blended together so that you get gradients on your paper plate.
Can my preschool-aged child create this cactus craft on their own?
Yes. Have all of the supplies prepared for them prior to beginning and they can do this cactus craft on their own.
Step-By-Step Pictures
Step 1- Add a few drops of paint on the bubble wrap.
Be sure to leave space between the colors to spread the paint out with a paintbrush.
Using a paintbrush, spread the colors over the sheet of bubblewrap.
Do not fully blend the colors together – this will help you achieve a gradient of color throughout the cactus,
Place the bubblewrap onto a white paper plate.
Be sure to press down on the bubble wrap to get the imprints of the bubbles onto the paper plate.
Pull back the bubble wrap to reveal its imprint on the paper plate.
You may need to add more paint when you reveal your print, which is totally fine! You can keep making prints with your bubble wrap over and over. Let the paint dry.
Cut your paper plate into cacti shapes.
Be creative and make cacti-inspired shapes from your paper plate.
Place your cactus plants into the bottom of a small terra cotta pot.
You can add as many cacti plants as you like into each small pot.
Using a glue dot or a small amount of glue, add a piece of crinkled tissue paper as a flower.
This step can be done prior to putting the cacti plants in the pot if it is easier for little hands.
Adorable Cactus Craft
Equipment
- Paintbrush
Ingredients
- 1 sheet bubblewrap
- 1 tube dark green paint
- 1 tube green paint
- 1 tube yellow paint
- 1 sheet red tissue paper
- 1 sheet pink tissue paper
- 2 each glue dots
- 1 small terra cotta pot
- 1 each paper plate
Instructions
- Add small amounts of each color of paint to the bubblewrap.
- Using a brush, spread the colors to cover the sheet.
- Place the painted side down onto the paper plate.
- Pull off the bubblewrap to see the imprints. Let dry.
- Cut the paper plate into cacti shapes.
- Place the cacti into the pot.
- Add a small piece of crinkled tissue paper with glue dot to te plant.
Love the ideas you see here on Messy Momma Crafts? Subscribe today and get our weekly newsletter plus other exclusive gifts and offers — all for FREE!
What’s Next?
If you enjoyed this cactus craft then you’ll enjoy these CACTI-inspired recipes too.
More Cactus Recipes/Ideas
If you enjoyed this cactus craft then you will love these outdoor and summer ideas next:
Leave a Reply