Butterfly Flier

Here are some rather simple, but fun, butterfly crafts that you can do by yourself or with children.

Butterfly Flier

Materials

TP Roll – if you cover it in tinfoil instead of painting it, the butterfly will fly faster
6 to 8 feet of wool, the smaller the kids the shorter you should make it. But you can always adjust it later if you need too
You can also use fishing line, which makes the butterfly faster than wool
Printer
Glue
Scissors
Something to color with – using paints allows it to go quicker because of how many pieces there are to color
Poster board or cardboard – Jumbo size cereal boxes work great
5 pieces of paper

Instructions

• Print out the template from http://www.dltk-kids.com/CRAFTS/insects/butterfly_flier.htm
• You can print one or two copies of the template depending on if you want a one sided or two sided butterfly. Just keep in mind that the two sided butterfly will take twice as long to do.
• Color or paint the template pieces where it is needed
• After the pieces have dried cut out all of the pieces
• Glue the rectangular piece around the toilet paper tube
• Glue the toilet paper tube to the butterfly’s body. Add some tape to reinforce it.
• Assemble and glue one of the butterfly’s wings, then attach it to the body
• Put your one wing butterfly on your cardboard and trace around it. This doesn’t have to be exact.
• Cut out the cardboard
• Place the cardboard cutout on another piece of cardboard and trace a second piece. What this does is helps your wings to be symmetrical
• Glue one piece of cardboard to your one winged butterfly
• Glue the second wing template pieces to the other piece of cardboard
• Glue the second wing onto the butterfly
• Tape down the seam of the cardboard for extra support
• If you are doing a two sided butterfly glue your second set of template pieces to the back of the cardboard
• Once everything has dried trim any bits of cardboard that is showing
• Fold the wool in half and tie it so that you have a big loop
• Put the loop through the toilet paper roll
• One player needs to hold each end of the loop. Person A should hold hands together while Person B stretches their arms wide apart. This is what causes the butterfly to move to one end from the other. Take turns doing this to make the butterfly move.