Butterfly Necklace

The inspiration for this necklace was the southern migration of monarch butterflies in the Fall.

Many of our friends and relatives donate amazing things to us to re-imagine.  The wood beads in the necklace came from a mom at school.  (Thank you V.!) Together as a family they make homemade Christmas presents and then she donates the leftover items to the school.  The Kindergarten teacher has a very well loved centre called, “Make & Take” where the kids create various things of their own imagination, developing their creativity, fine motor skills and planning.  In our city we have a re-use centre where you can donate and purchase (for a small amount) all sorts of materials to re-imagine. Many other municipalities have this with the profits supporting community environmental programs, education and initiatives.  Garage sales are often another good source for fabric and supplies.  Re-using items allows us to enjoy the act of creating and reduce what potentially goes into the landfill.  Have you re-imagined something?  We’d love for you to share it with us.

Materials

• Cardstock
• Craft glue or Modge Podge
• Paint brush
• Tissue paper (yellow & orange)
• Pencil/eraser
• Lace (We recommend a magnetic detachable clasp for younger children for safety)
• Hole punch
• Beads
• Permanent black marker
• Whiteout pen (To be used with adult supervision)
• Craft tray
• Smock
• Laminating supplies or clear contact paper.

Directions

• Sketch out the shape of a butterfly.  Cut your butterfly out.

• Don your smock. Tear and cover your butterfly with pieces of tissue paper, using both a layer of glue underneath and over top of the tissue paper.  Be sure to wash your paintbrush immediately after.

• Allow to dry overnight in your craft tray.  Trim the excess tissue paper.

• Repeat the process on the other side.  Allow to dry and trim.

• Using your black pen pen, colour the butterfly’s antennae, body and wing pattern.

• With adult supervision, colour in the white areas of the wing pattern with a white out pen. We did this before applying the permanent marker, but suggest the reverse as it may be easier for some children.

• Cover your butterfly with clear contact paper (sandwiching it in between the sticky sides) or have an adult laminate it.

• Punch two holes into your butterfly.

• Lace your beads and your butterfly to create a necklace.  We used the ends to form a loop and sewed them (as seen below), hiding the excess into the bead.

• Enjoy!

Purpose

• Learning a bit about the monarch butterfly’s behaviour in Fall.
• Cutting different materials.
• Lacing beads etc. is a great way to develop one’s fine motor skills.

Safety Notes

• Exercise caution when using scissors
• Use twine, string etc. with adult supervision as it may be a strangulation hazard.
• Remove your necklace for play (e.g., on the playground) to avoid strangulation.