Clothespin Butterfly

This is a little different take on the usual clothespin butterfly project that I’m sure your child will have fun with. Coloring the body of the butterfly in many beautiful colors allows your little one to express their creativity, while the remainder of the project helps to enhance their motor skills and ability to follow directions. When the butterfly is complete, your child can have fun adding glitter glue, sequins, or other embellishments to further personalize their butterfly.

Materials:

• One-piece clothespin
• Markers, paint, or crayons
• Permanent marker
• 2 Chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
• Tacky glue
• Wrapping paper, wallpaper, or construction paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Yarn

Procedure:

1. For the body of the butterfly, color the clothespin with markers, paint, or crayons, depending on the child’s ability and age. Make a face on the head of the clothespin with the permanent marker.
2. Take a chenille stem and twist the two ends together to form a circle. Then, pinch it in the middle (at the point where you joined the ends together) and twist once to form a figure ‘8’. Do the same to the other chenille stem.
3. Place glue on the center of the ‘8’ and push the stems into the clothespin, all the way in, with the center of the ‘8’ inside the clothespin.
4. Using a pencil, trace the inside of the chenille stem loops onto the backside of the wrapping paper, wallpaper, or construction paper. Cut out the wings a little bit larger than the shape you traced. Make sure you keep track of which wing part goes to which loop.
5. Glue the wings to the back of the chenille loops, ensuring that the pattern is facing up. (If the child accidently glues them to the top of the chenille loops, it's O.K. The butterfly still looks fine.)
6. Decorate the butterfly with glitter, sequins, beads, or whatever you have handy, if desired.
7. To hang the butterfly, take a length of yarn and tie it across the butterfly’s body at the wings. If you are hanging the butterfly high, such as off the ceiling, tie it so that the butterfly face and wing pattern is facing down towards the floor, so that when you look up, you can see every detail of the butterfly.

Copyright © 2001 RBG Crafts

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