Beautiful Butterfly

Purpose: Children become very interested in insects as they begin to appear in the spring. This activity builds on that interest and provides an opportunity for children to learn more about butterflies and develop the language to describe them.

 

 

Materials/Advance Preparation:

• books and poems about butterflies
• clear contact paper, with identical outlines of a butterfly drawn with black permanent marker (2 per child) 
• tissue paper (many colors)
• pipe cleaners
• scissors
• tape
• string

 

Directions:

1. Read about butterflies with the children drawing on the books and poems you have gathered. 
2. Provide each child with the contact paper butterflies.  Depending on the children's age, have them cut out both of the outlines. This must be done with sharp scissors.
3. Peel the backing from one of the butterfly outlines, leaving the sticky side exposed.
4. Have the children tear small pieces of different colored tissue paper and place them on to the sticky side of the contact paper.
5. Peel the other half of the butterfly.  Press the 2 pieces of contact paper together, making a "sandwich" with the tissue paper in the middle.  
6. Help children twist two pipe cleaners together.  Leave one end untwisted so that the two pipe cleaners make antennae.
7. Tape the twisted pipe cleaners onto the butterfly so that it becomes the narrow body of the butterfly with the antennae emerging from the front.
8. Hang from ceiling or stick on window.
9. Discuss your creations and continue the discussion of butterflies, reread a poem, etc.

 

Eric Gidseg

Activities Home | Language Strand | Skills | Theme | Type | All