Butterfly Puppets

Written by: Beth Taylor • Edited by: Wendy Finn
Updated Feb 27, 2010 • Related Guides: Art Project | Butterfly

Everybody loves butterflies. Enchant your elementary students with this art project in which they craft puppets out of paper plates.

Welcome Spring with this elementary art project. This project goes nicely with any theme or lesson plan that incorporates butterflies' life cycle or looking at different types of butterflies.

Mechanics

click to enlarge

Every butterfly puppet will require two paper plates, scissors, and a stapler, as well as art supplies and imagination. The children design and paint their butterflies on the back of the paper plate.

click to enlarge

Take the second paper plate and fold in half. Open back up, and cut on the crease. You now have two halves. Cut off 1/2 inch to 1 inch off of each side of the paper plate, depending upon the size of your students' hands. You should be cutting along the strait edge.

When the butterfly plates are finished and dry, fold them along the butterfly's body, pressing the wings together. Create a crease and open back up.

Then, staple the two halves to the plain side of the butterfly plate. Staple along the rounded edges. You should have an opening for your hand strait down the middle. This opening must be where the butterfly's body is.When you place your hand in the puppet, you can make the butterfly's wings beat.

Creative Process

click to enlarge

Remember, the children will create their butterflies on the back of their paper plate. Encourage them to design their butterflies with a pencil first. They can create intricate or simple designs, and these designs can be based on reality or fantasy.

Painting results in brighter and more vibrant butterflies than coloring with crayons.

Another option is to decorate the butterfly wings with various colors of tissue paper and glue. If choosing this option, outline the butterfly with a permanent marker first.

Staple pipe cleaners in place to represent the butterfly's antennae. And don't forget to delineate the butterfly's body.

When everything is dry and stapled together, let your students experiment with whether they prefer having the butterfly wings on the back of their hands, or on their palms. Go outside with your puppets and watch the butterflies fly around the playground.

Alex Toys Paper Plate Bugs, Alex Little Hands Art Series