Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over… A big kid project

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly..." ~Proverb

A Big Kid  Project...

Materials:

Large paper plate, Small paper plate, Water color paints, Dark colored pipe cleaner, String, Scissors, Hole Punch, Masking tape (optional)

 Fold the large plate in half then cut a scalloped edge on the folded side. The result should be two pieces that look a little like a pair of kidney beans.

Paint the ‘out’ side of the plate to resemble a cocoon, and the inside to be wings. Paint the the small plate to resemble a flower, but just the rim of the inside leaving the center for the quote.

Once dry, write the quote in the center of the small plate.

With the wings facing each other, punch two holes about 2” apart on the rounded edge of the plate. Using the pipe cleaner, assemble the wings by stitching them from the outside in, twisting for the body, then stitching closed leaving the ends for antenna.

Add a string for hanging the flower below the butterfly and also one for hanging the whole thing.

Now the cool part… If you fold the small plate in half, position it inside the wings, tuck the string and antenna in and close the wings it all fits neatly into the cocoon.

And if you close up the cocoon with colored masking tape, address as you would an envelope, use 2x postage - You can send a butterfly in the mail!

Paint My Wings So I Can Fly - Paper Plate Butterfly

Paint My Wings So I Can Fly - Paper Plate Butterfly

Age: 18 Months - 5 Years (younger ones need more supervision)

Time: 15 min (+ Prep)

Theme: Butterflies

Books: Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Materials:

Large paper plates

Water Colors (or other kid friendly paints)

Dark Colored Pipe Cleaners

Adults get to use Scissors & Hole Punch

Prep: Fold the plate in half then cut a scalloped edge on the folded side. (The result should be two pieces that look a little like a pair of kidney beans.) With the pieces still facing each other, punch two holes about 2” apart on the rounded edge of the plate.

Activity: Each child gets a Pair of wings (cut plate) and paints to decorate them with. Encourage kids to mix colors, paint both sides, experiment! When they are finished painting, give the plates a few minutes to dry. (Hint – kids love to wash brushes almost as much as they love paint!) With a little help from an adult, ‘stitch’ the wings together with the pipe cleaner, leaving the long ends to become antenna. Take your butterfly on a flower finding adventure!

Notes/Tips: For ease of clean-up, cover the workspace with newspaper in advance and provide a paper towel to each kid to use as they work. Crayons can also be used instead of paints for an even lower mess factor.  

I Love Chasing Butterflies – Toddler Art Project

I Love Chasing Butterflies – Toddler Art Project

Age: 18 Months - 5 Years (younger ones need more supervision)

Time: 15 min (+ Prep)

Theme: Butterflies, Hearts

Books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall, The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann   

Materials:

Construction Paper of any color
Tissue Paper Scraps
Craft Sticks
Pipe Cleaner(s)
Glue Sticks
Adults get to use Scissors
 
Prep: Cut out pairs of matching hears by folding the construction paper into ¼’s. Make sure you start on the folded edge. Hearts cut to this size will be about 4” x 5”.
 
Activity: Each child gets a pair of hearts, a craft stick, a pipe cleaner and glue. Wrap the pipe cleaner several times around the top of the craft stick to form the body and antennas and then set aside. Overlap the hearts pointing tip to tip and glue them together to form wings. Glue the body to the front of the wings. Decorate the wings using small scraps of tissue paper. Chase Butterflies!
 
Notes/Tips: I like to use the ‘smart stick’ craft sticks for this project because the little notches keep the antennae from sliding off. The wings get in the way when adding the antennae so do this step first. Putting glue on both the stick and the paper helps make sure they stick together. Distribute the tissue paper on plates to save on clean-up. Add a strip of magnet - these are adorable on refrigerators and metal doors.