Fine motor fun: Cutting patterns in feathers

 

Does your child love to collect feathers?  Do you want build your child’s fine motor skills in a fun an playful way? Cutting patterns in feathers is your perfect activity!

After collecting feather for quite some time, our little feather box was quite overflowing! We decided we’d get crafty with a few of them.

If your feathers are a little untidy

Some of our feathers had been sitting in a box for quite some time and were a little disheveled. It didn’t take much to clean them up though.  We used a recycled (and clean) eyelash brush and brushed the feather barbs on the same angle they sit.A toothbrush works well too. It makes the feather perfect again!

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 Cutting patterns in feathers

Once our feathers were all tidy again,  we all started cutting patterns in feathers.

My three-year olds, Miss Platypus and Miss Panda, enjoyed just cutting bits and pieces off the feathers while Miss Possum and I cut patterns in the feathers. We cut diagonal and wavy edged feathers and cut feathers into sharp points. Cutting into the barbs, near the shaft of the feather, made a lovely pattern in the feather too.

 We had a lot of feather cuttings after our activity but we didn’t waste them. I drew a bird on a piece of paper ( you could download this bird printable instead if you’re not a keen drawer) and then stuck glue all over the bird. The girls loved sticking the feathers onto the bird picture.

 I can’t wait until our feather box overflows again. Neither can the kids!

Have you ever crafted with feathers?