Bugs! Spring is when these little critters first become active, and many kids find them fascinating. Why not bring the bugs in with some bug-related crafts? Here are some crafts for bug-loving kids.

1. Coffee Filter Butterfly

This simple craft can be done by almost any age. If you don’t have coffee filters, tissue paper works fine. Save these to use for Christmas ornaments! Here’s what you’ll need for 1 butterfly:

* Coffee filter (pleated style)
* Wooden clothes pin (the open “slit” or clip varieties – both will work)
* Black pipe cleaners
* Black craft paint
* Plastic plate or several layers of newspaper
* Watercolor
* Paintbrush

First, paint your clothes pin black and allow it to dry. While it’s drying, open up the coffee filter to make a flat circle. Lay this on the plate or newspaper (the watercolor will soak through). Using lots of water to make drippy paint, dab various colors onto the coffee filter until it’s covered with color. Peel up the filter and lay it on newspaper to dry.

Once dry, pinch the coffee filter in the middle, so that it fans out on either side. Attach the clothes pin at this pinched-in section. Take one black pipe cleaner and wrap the middle of it around the top of the clothes pin to make antennae.

2. Clay Caterpillar

This flexible guy can make a fun toy and decoration. You’ll need:

* Air-dry clay, colored or white, polymer or earth clay
* Wire (approx. 22-gauge)
* Toothpicks
* Googly eyes
* Hot glue
* Wire cutters
* Acrylic paint (if you’re not using colored clay)
* Needle nose pliers

First, make 6 or more balls of the same size out of the clay. If you are using polymer clay, use several different colors if you like. Use a toothpick to poke a hole through the balls; you’ll need this to string them on the wire. On the ball that will be the head, poke only 1 hole with the toothpick; don’t go all the way through; stick two bits of wire (1 1/2 inch each) into the wet clay of the head. Allow to dry.

If you used white earth clay, paint the balls in one or two different colors and allow to dry. String the balls onto a piece of wire and bend into shape. Use the pliers to bend a little loop in the wire at the caterpillar’s rear to prevent the balls from slipping off.

Make two little balls from the clay and stick them on the end of the antennae (paint when dry if desired). Hot glue googly eyes under the antennae to make the caterpillar’s face.

 
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