Spring break at home means more time for crafting time with my little ones. I wanted to share a few easy crafts using popsicle sticks to make some charming little creatures, including a turtle, butterfly, and dragonfly. My girls loved them all, so I am not sure we can pick our favorite.
This simple craft is great to do to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. After making the crafts with your children, you can:
- Go on a nature walk to spot any butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, and other wonders of nature.
- Talk about the history of Earth Day and why it is vital to protect mother earth for future generations.
- Have the children share what they can do to protect the environment
- Read a book about saving the planet.
- Watch the Lorax movie based on the Dr. Seuss book and have a discussion afterward about it
- Visit the EarthDay.org for more ideas and virtual events to take part in, and follow this year’s hashtag #HOPEFOREARTH
Butterfly
Supplies
- 2 popsicle sticks per butterfly
- Yarn
- 3-4 beads
- 1 pipe cleaner
- Glue gun
How to:
- Paint popsicle sticks and once dry, glue together in an ‘X’ shape
- Wind up yarn in the center of the ‘X’ to create the middle part of the butterfly. Then switch to a figure 8 pattern to create the butterfly wings.
- Bend the pipe cleaner in half and wrap it around the middle of the butterfly.
- Place a large bead on top to form the head and the two smaller beads on the bottom.
- After placing a large bead through the pipe cleaner, you can create the pipe cleaner to be shaped like antennas.
Turtle
Supplies
- 3 popsicle sticks per a turtle
- Yarn
- Paint
- Permanent marker
How to:
- Paint the popsicle sticks and allow time for the paint dry.
- Start to wrap the yard around the popsicle sticks, interweaving between each limb of the turtle.
- Once complete, tie the yard to secure it to the popsicle sticks
- With a permanent marker, you can draw a face for the turtle
Dragon Fly
Supplies
- Yarn
- 6-9 pipe cleaners
- Paint
- Permanent marker
How to:
- Start wrapping the popsicle stick with a pipe cleaner. You can alternate the color of the pipe cleaners or use the same color to fill the popsicle stick.
- Take one pipe cleaner and fold in half to shape the wings and then twist on the popsicle stick to secure. You can choose to do one or two wings.
- With a permanent marker, create a face.
Check out some great video tutorials below.