Activities - FUN butterfly coloring pages, butterfly kits, crafts and more!

Make 'Stained Glass' Butterflies

Butterflies are so delicate you only want to look at them - not touch or catch them. Their wings are covered with tiny overlapping scales that give them their lovely colors. Here’s a way to make a butterfly image to brighten your bedroom window.

What You Need

• Sheet of paper

• Marker or crayon

• Waxed paper

• Tissue paper, many colors, cut in 1” (2.5 cm) squares

• Liquid starch (spray, not aerosol)

• Pipe cleaners

• Tape

What You Do

1. Draw a butterfly outline on the paper. Place a sheet of waxed paper on top so the outline shows through.

2. Spray plenty of starch on the waxed paper. Cover the butterfly shape with overlapping squares of tissue paper, in any design you like as long as you fill in the whole butterfly. Spray the waxed paper again with starch and add another layer of tissue squares.

3. Add a third layer if you wish, finishing with another spray of starch. Throw away the paper outline; let the butterfly dry overnight. When dry, peel off the waxed paper very carefully.

4. To make the body, place a pipe cleaner along the line separating the left and right wings, bending the ends around the top and bottom, as shown. Tape in place.

5. Thread a second pipe cleaner through the top of the body, give it a twist, and bend the ends into a “V” for antennae. Hang in a sunny window.

Courtesy of Afterschool Agriculture – Thematic Web Activities – Insect Invasion