Celebrate Earth Day every day! Combine a Planet Earth craft with a bit of science for the perfect STEAM activity this season. This Earth Day coffee filter craft is great for even non-crafty kiddos. Make the earth with just a coffee filter and washable markers. Perfect for a weather theme or ocean unit too!

Make An Earth Day Craft This Spring

Get ready to add this colorful Earth Day craft to your lesson plans this season. If you want to learn more about combining art and science for fun hands-on STEAM, let’s grab the supplies!  While you’re at it, make sure to check out these other fun spring science activities and spring crafts.

Our STEAM activities (science + art) are designed with you, the parent or teacher, in mind!  Easy to set up, quick to do, most crafts will take only 15 to 30 minutes to complete and are heaps of fun.  Plus, our supplies lists usually contain only free or cheap materials you can source from home.

Find out how coffee filters and washable markers from the Dollar Store (or supermarket) transform into a heartwarming Earth Day craft for kids of all ages. We have over 35 easy Earth Day activities to teach kids about Earth Day, and caring for our planet.

How Much Of The Earth Is Ocean?

Can you believe the ocean covers 71% of the Earth and makes up 99% of the living space on this planet! WOW! That’s a fun fact for kids.

And did you know that only 1% of all this water is freshwater? Make sure to take a look at our Ocean activities too!

Learn About Solubility With Coffee Filters

Make an easy Earth Day craft with coffee filters, and markers. No coloring in skills needed because simply add water to the coffee filter, and the colors beautifully blend together.

Why do the colors on your coffee filter earth blend together? It’s all to do with solubility! If something is soluble that means it will dissolve in that liquid (or solvent). The ink used in these washable markers dissolves in what? The water of course!

With our coffee filter earth, the water (solvent) is meant to dissolve the marker ink (solute). For this to happen, the molecules in both the water and the ink must be attracted to each other.

When you added drops of water to the designs on the paper, the ink should spread out and run through the paper with the water.

Note: Permanent markers do not dissolve in water but in alcohol. You can see this in action here with our tie-dye Valentine cards.

More Fun Coffee Filter Crafts

There are all kinds of fun crafts you can do with coffee filters. We love coffee filter crafts because they are easy to do with preschoolers to elementary kiddos. Here are a few of our favorites…

Get your FREE printable Earth Day STEM cards!

Earth Day Coffee Filter Craft

Supplies:

  • Coffee Filters
  • Washable Markers
  • Glue Sticks
  • Gallon Size Zipper Bag OR Metal Baking Sheet Pan
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Water Spray Bottle
  • Printable Backdrop

How To Make A Coffee Filter Earth

STEP 1. Flatten a round coffee filter, and draw your Earth with the ocean and continents with blue and green markers.

This might be a great time to share some facts such as the Earth is 70% ocean. You can also review the different continents and oceans!

CHECK OUT: Ocean Mapping Activity

STEP 2. Place the colored coffee filters on a gallon size zipper bag or metal baking sheet pan and then mist with a water spray bottle. 

STEP 3. Watch the magic as the colors blend and the Earth comes to life!  Set aside to dry.

STEP 4. Download our free printable background HERE.  Go ahead and color it in if you like!

STEP 5. Cut out a heart to add to the center of your Earth if desired. Glue it to the center of the Earth. Then glue the Earth to the center of the printable!

Optional Heart Add On: If you want to make a coffee filter heart to go in the center of your earth, choose pinks, reds, purples, or any color you want. Then color in a heart on a separate coffee filter and cut and paste onto the earth. Or you can skip the coffee filter heart and cut out hearts from red construction paper, tissue paper or use stickers!

Your Earth Day craft is finished and ready to enjoy!

More Fun Earth Day Activities

Make A Coffee Filter Earth Day Craft For STEAM (Science + Art)

Click on the link or the image below for more fun STEAM activities for kids.

Summer STEAM projects for kids that combine art and science