We’ve gone bug crazy here! We've been spending so much time outside gardening, & exploring our neighbourhood that we've spotted a number of bugs & insects which Minnie is showing a real interest in. One of her favourites are dragonflies, so we thought we’d have a go at making our own to hover around the garden.
To make our dragonflies we used
2 pipe cleaners
2 small round beads
Recycled clear thin plastic (we picked ours up from a Scrap Store but you could use the lid of a food container)
Permanent marker pen
Scissors.
* To make the wings for your dragonfly, draw your chosen wing shape onto the plastic, or print off our template below to trace around.
* Decorate your dragonfly wings with permanent marker pen, & then cut out.
* To make the body, bend both pipe cleaners in half. Hold the pipe cleaners together & slide a bead over both of them, one at each end. Twist the pipe cleaners just under the 2 beads, to create a head for the dragonfly.
* Twist a couple of times & then slide your dragonfly wings between the pipe cleaners. Carefully twist the pipe cleaners again under the plastic to hold the wings in place, & then continue to twist.
*Once you have got to the end, bend the pipe cleaners around each other at the bottom, to hold them in place
We also experimented with a gold marker pen, & coloured glass pens on the wings.
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| Minnie cut these wings out by herself |
Minnie discovered that if you bend the pipe cleaner body of the dragonfly down slightly near the wings, the dragonflies will sit on a small object & look as if they're hovering.
We also hung some around our garden by tying a length elastic just behind the wings. They look so effective, just like they're flying through the air!
Great for encouraging an interest in nature & encouraging care for the wildlife in your neighbourhood!