Last year, my programs weren't as structured and I focused on the art activities. We made flat paper butterflies using art supplies one day and hand print butterflies the next day. I think I repeated the flat paper butterflies on the third day, as well. Another big difference was that last year, each child made an individual paper butterfly to send to Mexico, but this year the program has asked that we make a class butterfly, or in the library's case, a group butterfly. This year, each day of the project produced a different group. After I read them a Monarch butterfly related story and we went over the basics of the life of a butterfly, the kids created a craft butterfly that they took home. To participate in the group butterfly, I had them write their name on a sticker, which I placed into a big butterfly that I cut out of a manila folder.
Day 1: Flat cardstock butterfly decorated with art supplies. I used this Butterfly Template.
Day 2: Recycled butterfly made with a TP roll, and cut-out magazine page wings. I'm not sure where I got the idea from, but it kinda goes like the DLTK one. You need: *TP rolls*ripped out magazine pages (I looked for vibrant colors and visual textures and patterns)
*pipe cleaners (or some other antennae)
*glue stick and tape stapler
*stuff to decorate with
1. I used a glue stick and tape to wrap construction paper over the TP roll, but you can leave it plain or use something else to cover and/or decorate it.
2. I created a half-wing template (use the DLTK wing template or draw your own), folded the magazine page in half, aligned the flat side of the wing template to the fold, traced it out, cut and ta-da there are your wings, which you can now glue stick to the TP roll.
3. cut a full-length pip cleaner in half. Then fold the half in half. Staple the folded half to the TP roll (can be kinda tricky). Move and twist them them around until you have butterfly antennae. 4. Decorate with whatever supplies you have.
Day 3: Tissue paper and pipe cleaner butterfly mobile
Not as many kids participated in this one, and the kids that did didn't really get the idea. So I might not repeat this craft. But I got the idea from this DLTK Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft. Instead of coffee filters, I used tissue paper, which I have plenty of in the library and pipe cleaners. I made a basic mobile by gluing craft sticks together and tying the butterflies on using ribbon. Got that idea from the Monarch Butterfly Mobile in Fun and Simple Pacific West State Crafts by June Ponte.
Addendum, Spring 2010:
Journey North News Alert
I got an envelope back in the spring of my library's first year of participation, only to find one paper butterfly had returned with the sad news that the school in Mexico where our paper butterflies had been sent to had been destroyed by flooding. It was sad news.
Addendum, April 10, 2011:
In an effort to clean up my art supplies I started doing a collage/make-what-you-want art activity at least once a month. At one of these programs, I made this butterfly collage with some butterfly die cuts, magazine cut outs, feathers, tissue paper and crayons:
