It really feels as though Spring might have sprung here and this plastic bottle wind spiral mobile is perfect for hanging out in the garden and watching spin as the wind catches it.  I love that it is a cross between process art and a craft and it is a great activity for preschoolers through to tweens.

Plastic bottles are always something we have in our recycling bin, so we had lots to experiment and have fun with.  We started this art activity with no idea of what we were going to do with the bottles, just that the boys and their friends wanted to paint them.  We used acrylic paint as it sticks straight onto the bottles, but in the past I have used tempura mixed with PVA glue to make our plastic bottle skittles.  We have also used sharpies to colour bottles for our plastic bottle lanterns.  If you use acrylic then you need to make sure that you do not get it on to clothes or furniture as it can stain and if you do that you wash it in cold water first as not to set the colour.

Before we move on to the Plastic Bottle wind spiral mobile.  This truly was a process art activity as before the mobile was made the kids had lots of fun making sculptures with the bottles.

I love how amazing they turned out.  They look a lot like the work of Dale Chihuly and are almost glass-like.

Plastic Bottle Wind Spiral Mobile

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Materials:

• Plastic bottles
• Paint (UK Link/US Link)
• Paintbrushes (UK Link/US Link)
• Scissors (UK Link/US Link)
• Wooden stick
• String

How to make a Plastic Bottle Wind Spiral Mobile

Take the caps off your bottles, take the wrappers off and allow to dry out.

Then let the kids loose with the paint and watch them have lots of fun.  I did this with a five-year-old and a ten-year-old and they both had a blast.  We talked about patterns, how the paint didn’t go in the lines easily and generally just chatted and laughed whilst the bottles were painted.

Then you need to allow your bottles to dry – which was the hardest part for the impatient five year old!

Cut the bottom off the bottle (this is easiest with a craft knife, so needs to be done by an adult or an older child under supervision).

Starting at the bottom of the bottle, cut a spiral up and around the bottle until you reach the spout area.

Place the spout opening of the bottles on a stick.

Tie the string onto the ends of the stick and hang the water bottle wind spiral mobile in the garden and watch is spin in the wind.

Just take a look at it blowing in the wind.  It would make a great bird scarer for our vegetable patch.

MORE PROCESS ART ACTIVITIES USING PLASTIC BOTTLES:

• Plastic Bottle Stamping from Arty Crafty Kids
• Drip Painted Bottle Process Art by To be a Kid Again
• DIY Garden lantern from a plastic bottle from Mum in the Madhouse
• DIY Recycled Plastic Bottle Poppy Craft from Mum in the Madhouse
• How to make a bubble snake maker from Mum in the Madhouse
• Drink Bottle Skittles from Mum in the Madhouse
• Sensory Process Art from Views From A Step Stool
• An Invitation to Create from Squiggles and Bubbles
• Abstract Sculptures from Figment Creative