Saturday Scoop: Juice Box Wings

Do you ever have trouble with your child squeezing a juice box too hard and spilling it everywhere?  One solution I've seen is little plastic containers to put the juice box in so your child doesn't squeeze it.  Call me lazy, but I just don't want one more thing to wash!  Plus, I would end up forgetting it when I needed it!

I don't remember where I read this tip, but here is an easy way to avoid a juice mess!

Pull out the sides of the juice box to form handles for your child to hold!  I ask the girls to hold onto the "wings" whenever they pick up the box.  When they get in the habit of holding it that way, the mess is a lot less!

Caterpillar to Butterfly Craft

Last year around this time we had a butterfly garden.  It was such an amazing

experience for the girls to see each stage of the butterfly's life!  I think we will do it again next spring. 

In the meantime, I thought a craft that changed from a caterpillar to a butterfly would be a fun refresher!

Supplies:
Clothespin
Pom poms
Glue
Small wiggly eyes/beads
Coffee filter
Markers
Toilet paper tube
Streamer
Tape

1)  Glue pom poms onto a clothespin to make a caterpillar.

2)  Glue on eyes.  I didn't have any wiggly eyes that were small enough, so we substituted beads.

3)  Use markers or watercolor paints to color a coffee filter.

At this point, we oohed and aahed over the caterpillars they created.  The girls went to bed, and I finished these steps.  I thought it would be a fun surprise, but you could have your child do each step themselves.

4)  Scrunch the coffee filter and clip with the clothespin to form butterfly wings.

5)  Place the butterfly in a toilet paper tube.  Tape and wrap a streamer around the tube to form a chrysalis.

The next day, I asked the girls where the caterpillars went.  We "found" the chrysalises and decided the caterpillars must be in them!  Later, I cut a slit in the bottom of the tube and pulled the butterfly out slightly.

The girls helped the butterflies emerge from their chrysalises!

Sipping Nectar (and our Butterfly Lunch)

Use this easy activity to help your child understand how a butterfly eats. 

You will need:

Construction paper

Small cup

Straw

Juice

Scissors

Tape

1)  Cut out a flower shape from construction paper.  We used paper from our scrap box (the tissue paper was already glued on it!).  Then, bend in half and cut an X shape in the middle.

2)  Slide the flower over the cup and tape the flaps to the cup.

3)  Bend the petals around the cup.  It's a flower!  Fill the cup with juice (nectar).

4)  Give your child a straw.  Explain that most butterflies feed on nectar through a proboscis and have your child use her straw (like a proboscis) to sip nectar like a butterfly!

We had an impromptu Butterfly Lunch complete with nectar and cookie-cutter butterfly PB&J sandwiches (thanks to a suggestion from Little D -- "Mommy, wouldn't it be fun to make butterfly sandwiches?").

Potpourri Butterfly

Another butterfly idea...

1)  Print or trace a butterfly template onto cardstock paper.  Cut out.  I found mine here.

2)  Put plenty of glue on the butterfly.

3)  Cover the butterfly with potpourri.

It smells wonderful!  We're going to punch a hole, thread some string, and hang it in the car.

Tasty Tuesday -- Snack Bag Butterflies

I can't remember where I saw this recently, but I think it would make a fun treat bag for a Butterfly-themed birthday party!

1)  Fill a snack bag with trail mix (using whatever ingredients you have on hand).  We used pretzels, Cheerios, M&Ms, peanuts, and raisins.

2)  Scrunch and clip the center together with a clothespin.  Draw a face.  You could also use a pipe cleaner instead of the clothespin.

You could do today's snack project, rinse out the bag, and use it for yesterday's Scrap Paper Butterfly to reuse the plastic bag.

Scrap Paper Butterfly

I have a box of scrap paper for the girls to use for art projects, and sometimes they like to use it for scissor practice. I can remember our oldest just sitting and cutting small pieces of paper for long periods of time.  It drove me crazy because the scraps would be everywhere, but it kept her occupied and she learned to control her scissors! This project uses some of those paper scraps to make a butterfly!

1)  Fill a snack or sandwich bag with scraps of cut or torn paper.  Seal the bag and fold the top down.

2)  Twist a pipe cleaner around the middle of the bag.  Form loops for the antenna.

The girls wanted them taped to the mirrors in their bedrooms.

Caterpillar Cookie

We made this for a friend's birthday!  Happy birthday, Ashlee!!

1)  Make 12-18 chocolate chip cookies.  Tint a container of frosting green. Spread frosting on top of a cookie and connect it to another cookie.

2)  Form a "body" with the cookies.

3)  Break pretzel sticks in half and place four on each side for legs.

4)  Use pretzels for the antenna (or birthday candles).  Put frosting on the back of candy bits (like M&Ms) and design a face!

We decided to move it to a glass plate and add a few paper leaves!

Paper Chain Caterpillar

Make this cute caterpillar for some practice with folding paper, using scissors, and gluing!

1)  Help your child fold a piece of construction paper in half, then in half again, and then in half again.  Have them cut on the lines made from the folds.

2)  Link the strips together to form a paper chain.

3)  Cut a short length of pipe cleaner and poke up through the first link.  Glue on wiggly eyes (or draw them with a marker).  Draw a mouth.

Bug Hats

The girls were needing new summer hats, so I stopped by a craft store and picked some up for just over $1.00!!  They are just a smidge big, but maybe that will protect their little ears and faces from the sun!

1)  Pick a hat.  Any type will do!  We sat our hat on a plastic storage container.  Pick your paint colors and pour in a lid or on a plate.

2)  Have your child press a finger in the paint and push it on the hat. Check for paint on other parts of the hand and clean them off if necessary (we learned this the hard way and have a few stains on the hat to show for it!).  Then add more fingerprints!  If you find the bowl cumbersome, just lay the hat down flat to work on it. Make sure to have cardboard between the layers or your paint might soak through to the back of the hat.

2)  After the paint is dry, use a permanent marker to add detail to your caterpillar (or other bug!).  Place in the dryer for 20-30 minutes to set the paint and marker.

I wanted each girl to have a different bug, so Sunshine chose ladybugs!

Princess made a butterfly!

They're ready for some sun!  Too bad we don't have any today!

Caterpillar Pizza

Our theme this week is caterpillars!  Let's make a "Caterpillar Pizza" for Tasty Tuesday. 

1)  You'll need some English muffins (or pizza dough).  Slice them in half and arrange in a caterpillar shape on a pizza pan or cookie sheet.

2)  Spread pizza sauce on each slice.  Add desired toppings.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes.

Use your creativity for the caterpillar features!  We used olives for the eyes and antenna, mushrooms for the feet and mouth, and pepperoni for the cheeks! 

Ladybug Snack

It's not Tasty Tuesday, but here is a very easy "ladybug" snack!

1)  Toast 1/2 of a bun or English muffin.  Spread with red-tinted peanut butter (or cream cheese).

2)  Put raisins (or chocolate chips) on for ladybug spots.

This makes an easy, decently-healthy snack!

Painted Ladybug Rocks

I was trying to make a plant poke, but couldn't quite get it right -- so we made these cute little ladybug rocks to put with our houseplant!

1)  Go on a nature walk to find some "ladybug" shaped rocks.  Paint the top of the rocks red.

2)  Use a permanent marker to draw on spots and decorate the ladybug (or make a smiley face!!).

3)  Place the ladybugs in a potted plant container.

On our walk, we actually found a live ladybug to put in the bug jar from yesterday!

Bee Buzzer

I just got my new FamilyFun magazine, and it had a perfect activity for our bug theme!  You can find their directions here.  I adapted the directions using things I already had at home!

1) Using a craft stick, place pencil erasers on both ends.  You can see I adapted it by using a pencil.  We put a thumbtack in the eraser side and wrapped the other side thickly with tape.

2)  Cut an index card into a 3" square (we used our extra kite triangles).  Decorate it, center it on the pencil, and staple (or tape) it.

3)  Tie a piece of yarn on one side.  Stretch a rubber band across the pencil.

4)  Swing the hummer in a circle to make a buzzing noise!  If you don't hear a buzzing sound, try reversing your circle.  You also have to swing it quickly! 

Bug Jar

My middle daughter has a bug jar she made at a rec. center class, and the oldest wondered when she would get her own bug jar (I'm not sure why, because she professes to hate bugs!).  We tried an empty peanut butter jar, but we ended up breaking the lid and not having any luck painting it.  I had an empty peanut jar with a metal lid, so we tried that instead.  It worked!

1)  Poke air holes in the lid.  I used a hammer and nail.  Use a permanent marker to color the lid black.  If you want to do a ladybug, paint the lid red.

2)  Place small strips of tape across the jar to form a guide for painting stripes.  If you are making a ladybug, paint black circles on the lid.

3)  Paint the stripes yellow and remove the tape.

4)  Cut a pipe cleaner for the antenna.  Hot glue the antenna and wiggly eyes.

Time for a bug hunt!