Cardboard Tube Butterflies

These cardboard tube butterflies are really quick and easy to make but allow children to create a butterfly with its own unique and symmetrical wing pattern. It is a great way to introduce children to the concept of symmetry and also a fun activity to follow up after reading a book about butterflies or learning about butterfly life cycles.

You will need

• Cardboard tubes
• Coloured paper
• Card
• Wiggly eyes
• Ready mix paint
• Glitter markers
• Beads
• Pipe cleaners

To make:

1. Fold a piece of coloured card in half.
2. Add splodges of different colours of paint and glitter markers to one side of the card.
3. Fold card in half and smooth outwards from the centre to the corners before opening the card.
4. Cut out the card in wing shapes which can be pre drawn onto the back of the card.
5. Fold a pipe cleaner in half and thread on beads before twisting to keep them in place.
6. Stick the folded end of the pipe cleaner onto the end of the cardboard tube.
7. Glue on wiggly eyes
8. Stick the cardboard tube body to the wings using a line of glue along the crease of the wings ensuring that the bottom of the wings don’t reach lower than the bottom of the cardboard tube otherwise the cardboard tube butterfly won’t stand up.

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