Butterflies

Since we were unable to have our Butterfly Picnic/Party last summer we postponed it to this year. In preparation of it and in honor of spring beginning, we did some butterfly crafts (with many more to come). We also have been enjoying the book Butterflies by Seymour Simon. This is the first book that gives clear differences (besides moths flying at night and butterflies during the day) between a moth and a butterfly. The main difference is in their antennae.

We decided to make a few cereal butterflies and caterpillars after seeing them at Toys In The Dryer. Hazel loved this since it meant she got to eat "colored cereal" while doing it. They are made with pipe cleaners, colored cereal and gum drops (we also used gum fruit slices and edible candy grass). We also added googly eyes though they did not stay well.

Hazel wanted to make more butterflies so we made tissue paper ones with pom pom heads. These used pipe cleaners, pom poms, googly eyes, glue and tissue paper. First we made them with full sheets of tissue paper and they came out very large (though Hazel loves playing with these) and then we cut the paper into quarters and pipe cleaners in half.

We decorated the top layer of tissue paper with Hazel's dot markers. It bled through to the lower layers. Hazel wants to put some in her butterfly box (though I think she has realized these are too large for it) and then we were going to make a mobile out of them. Of course she also likes to make them fly around the house (even while she is on the phone).

Needless to say we had a lot of fun. More bug kind of crafts to come!!