Tissue Paper Flowers

A simple activity that can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages with some stunning results!

Step 1 - This is what you need to make tissue paper flowers. It's easier to buy pre-cut tissue paper (easily found from children's or primary school art suppliers), but you can either cut out your own shapes or else use simple to cut/buy squares (see step 2 below).

Step 2 - If you can't find shaped tissue paper or find cutting out circles is way too much hassle, then this is another way of making flowers but using squares.  Choose two or three colours and offset them diagonally to each other.  Make a central hole and then follow the same directions as for the other flowers.

Step 3 - Older children should find that the pipecleaners can be gently pushed through the tissue paper, but younger children will often not be delicate enough and tear great holes in the middle, so easier to cut a small hole for them.

Step 4 - Bend the end of your chosen pipe-cleaner round and round to make a small knot or ball. Then slide the chosen pieces of tissue paper on to the pipe-cleaner. The central star is optional.  It adds to the effect nicely, but using just squares or circles by themselves is also very effective, especially when you have a bunch of these flowers all together and all different colours.

Step 5 -Scrunch the central part of the tissue paper (where the hole was) round the pipe-cleaner, making the sides of the tissue paper crinkle and push up and round the 'bobble' that you made at the end of the pipe-cleaner. Young children might have difficulty with this bit and might need an adult or older child to do it for them. Then wrap a piece of sticky-tape round the bottom of the flower to secure it to the pipe-cleaner 'stem'.

Step 6 - A finished bunch of colourful flowers. Why not make a papier mache vase to put them in? Or present them to someone as a 'posy', tied together with a pretty ribbon?