We’ve been making bubble wrap starfish art every Summer for what feels like 1,000,000 years (and it’s ALWAYS a fave no matter how many times we make it!). The final products are beautifully impressive and couldn’t be easier to create.
Preschoolers and bubble wrap starfish go hand-in-hand
Are you familiar with the acronym ICSTAUATWA?
It stands for “I-can-set-this-activity-up-and-then-walk-away,” and it’s the stage where kids can be fully engrossed in a fabulous activity without the teacher needing to stand and supervise.
It’s the best.
It’s freeing for the teacher and the students.
Many preschool school years end with an Ocean or Summer theme, making this a perfect ICSTAUATWA activity.
Psst: I invented the acronym 20 seconds ago and feel it belongs on a teacher t-shirt.
🌟 Related: Check out our ultimate collection of the best printmaking projects for kids.
Materials
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- Bubble wrap – we always save bubble wrap from packages in the mail
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- White paper
- Scissors
- Pencil or pen
How to make bubble wrap starfish
Step 1: Cut out starfish shapes from your white paper (tracing an outline if needed).
Step 2: Add a layer of paint to your bubble wrap.
Step 3: Lay your starfish shape on the painted bubble wrap, rub the back of your paper, and then lift to reveal the colorful dots.
Step 4: Repeat the process for all of your colors.
Optional Step 5: Use white paper circles + a black marker to make eyes and puffy paint for a mouth. The starfish are adorable even without this step, but I am a #moreismore and had to try this out!
When done, wipe the bubble wrap with a towel or sponge and start again.
💡 Teacher Tip: If you want to use multiple paint colors, it’s important to work from the lightest to the darkest colors. Here, I went from light green to dark green to blue.
Wait…won’t the colors get all muddy?
They could if you use certain color combinations, but it’s easy to avoid that (phew!).
To avoid your paints getting muddy, try using analogous colors, such as these combos:
- Yellow – orange – red
- Yellow – green – blue
- Green – teal – blue
- Light green – dark green – blue
- Pink – purple – blue
I visualize a color wheel and try to pick colors close to one another to avoid muddy colors.
Is it okay to reuse bubble wrap?
Reusing bubble wrap is one of the best ways to give it extra life and purpose before it’s thrown away.
How special it is to model with children, too!
If you’re using kids’ paint, you can rinse these with water when done for more fun bubble wrap fun.
🌟 Check out some of these other fabulous printmaking projects for kids:
What to do with your completed bubble wrap starfish
These are adorable when displayed on a wall with a whole bunch of finished pieces.
Fun fact: what is the name of a group of starfish?
A galaxy!
I can’t wait to see your galaxy of bubble wrap starfish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any that can safely use the materials.
YES! It’s fun to explore the different sized bubbles on various types of bubble wrap.
No (yay!). Simply use a sponge or wet towel to wipe of colors in between pieces.
Do You have the starfish template available?
Hello! I just free-handed it so I do not have a template. 🙂