"Handy" Little Butterflies

A finished handy butterfly stapled to the 
bulletin board in my classroom.

       These little butterflies made with magic markers and construction paper sure come in handy when you need a quick way to decorate your classroom for spring! Little ones can also learn the parts of a butterfly while crafting their butterflies. 

       Students can learn about patterns and colors with this assignment. First they will need to fold a white sheet of paper in half twice and fill in each of the four spaces with patterns of shapes and colors of particular selection. After they have completed this step, students will then need to trace around their hands four times within each square of their designed paper. Cut these hands out to form the wings of your butterflies. I stapled their wings to some simple shapes of a butterfly's thorax cut from black construction paper. You can also add a few chenille stems for antennae. 

       My kindergarteners were so proud of their creations. What seems to be old-fashioned to us is  always entertaining to five year olds. It is one of the many blessings of being new to the world. Every little innocent thing holds some fascination for the very young. 

       Many of these butterflies did not make it to the bulletin board. My kindergarteners loved this butterfly craft so much, they tried to sneak their paper butterflies home! I saw them, however, stuffing their new friends into their backpacks before I could collect all of my bulletin board trim! I stapled the butterflies all over my display areas after students finished this art project. What an easy fun way to fill up bulletin boards!

Supply List:

• white drawing paper
• magic markers
• black construction paper
• white school glue or stapler
• one black chenille stem per butterfly

Left, color patterns on drawing paper. Center, trace around child hands for the wings. Right,
glue or staple on black butterfly body and black chenille stems for antenna.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Fold a sheet of white drawing paper in half and then in half again. Unfold it; now your student will have four spaces to draw four different patterns with a set of magic markers.
2. Once students have completed their patterns, have them trace around their hands four times and cut out the four hand tracings to attach to their butterfly bodies.
3. Fold a small, narrow length of black construction paper in half and cut out a simple butterfly shaped body for it.
4. Glue or staple the handy wings to it. 
5. Cut one black chenille stem in half.
6. Twist one end on each half into a little ''c'' shaped loop.
7. Glue the opposite ends to the top of the handy butterfly to make antenna.

Palm Sunday Crayon Resist Craft

      Crayon resist art projects are always popular for young people to make. This one is based upon a Palm Sunday theme. 

      Start with a large white piece of construction paper. Trace around your hands or the hands of your neighbor or a little of both using a purple magic marker. I've limited the color choices in this craft to purple and green, the most common color selection for that part of the Liturgical calendar. 

      After tracing many hands over lapping and waving in the air to reference the waving of palm branches, use bright purple crayons to color in bits and pieces of hand tracings in your abstract drawing. You may also choose to color some of the branches a variety of green shades; just don't color in all of the hand tracings. Leave some of the "palms" blank. 

      Now, carefully crumple the paper. If a bit of it tears have some masking tape on hand to repair little tears on the backside of the drawings. 

      Place the pictures on plastic or newspaper lined tables and proceed to give your students bowls of very watery green paint and large brushes. Have them brush washes of green or maybe even purple paint across the crayon resist pictures. You will end up with some lovely abstract palm paintings by the time you finish.

• Two donkeys for coloring here and here...
• The Last Supper Window at Chartres Cathedral