The butterfly is a symbol of hope and transformation. It begins as a fuzzy caterpillar then, after spinning a cocoon that it hibernates inside of for several weeks, it emerges as a beautiful butterfly, hence the reason many people think the butterfly stands for rebirth, giving hope to others.
For a great spring or summer project, or even in the dead of winter when everyone is beginning to dream about the lazy days of summer, you and your kids can create beautiful butterflies to display throughout your home or even your office or their classrooms.
How To Craft A Butterfly
We will show you, step by step, how to craft a butterfly that is easy and does not take too much time or money. It is a fun project for the entire family.
Materials
- 2 Pieces construction paper Complementary colors of your choice
- 1 Marker Black
- 1 Pair Scissors
- 1 Marker Pink
- 1 Stick Glue
- 1 Rubber Band
- 1 Protractor With A Small Pencil
Instructions
- Use your protractor to draw a circle that is 14 centimeters in diameter on the darkest color of construction paper you chose. Then cut it out with your scissors.
- Do step one again with your other piece of construction paper but set the protractor at 12 centimeters.
- Glue the smaller circle of paper onto the larger circle to form one sheet. Repeat steps one through three with a second set of sheets of construction paper of the same colors.
- Fold your sheet into an accordion-style circle. Do this by folding the circle in half then folding the top flap downward. Fold that part in half again then flip the paper over and do this again.
- Repeat step four with your second set of circles.
- Put the two sheets of accordion-style circles together and fasten them with your rubber band as seen in the photo above.
- Open the paper on each side of the rubber band to make your butterflies wings as seen above.
- Your butterfly is now beginning to look like one! Fluff the wings until they look even.
- Cut another sheet of construction paper in a contrasting yet complementary color into a rectangle that is four centimeters by six centimeters. Fold it into a circle like a tube and glue the two ends together to secure the body of your butterfly.
- Draw a smiley face on the front part of your tube of paper. You can also use little fake eyeballs and other materials of your choice to create your butterfly’s facial features.
- Use the same sheet of construction paper that you used for your butterfly’s body to cut two very thin strips of paper to create the antennas for your butterfly.
- Roll down one end of each of the strips to make them look like an antenna then glue them onto the top of your butterflies face and body.
- Put some glue on the rubber band in the center of your butterfly’s wings to attach the head and body to the wings.
- Glue the butterfly’s body onto its wings as shown above.
- Use the darkest color of construction paper that you used as the main paper for your butterfly’s wings and cut a strip that is 20 centimeters long and six centimeters wide. Wrap the paper around a skinny, long object, such as a skinny straw, and start from the bottom corner, rolling it up inside the paper until you form a stick. Secure the paper with glue or tape
- Glue the stick you created onto the backside of your butterfly’s body. You have now created a beautiful butterfly that you can use in a variety of ways, including sticking it a vase with some flowers in complementary colors.
Notes
We have provided you with each step of the process, along with photos to keep you on track, and there is a video that you can watch to make this butterfly super easy and exciting to complete. Follow along below.
