Crafty Kids: Coffee Filter Butterflies

Mason received a butterfly kit from Insect for his birthday this year, so we are currently watching caterpillars enclose themselves in their chrysalids and will hopefully have five butterflies flying around in about a week! Until then, we made these coffee filter butterflies which are super simple to make and look beautiful hanging in a window.

Supplies:

Directions:

• Flatten your coffee filter out on your paper plate.
• Use markers or watercolors to color it however you like!
• Fold a pipe cleaner in half.
• Scrunch your colored coffee filter in the middle and place the pipe cleaner around it.
• Twist the top of your pipe cleaner to make antennae.
• Spread and fluff your butterfly’s wings until you are satisfied with how it looks!
• You can tape your butterfly to a window and watch as the light shines through it’s colorful wings!
• If you do complete the craft, I’d love to see it! You can email me a picture at rmiller@kckpl.org!

Recommended Reading:

You can expand your butterfly knowledge by checking out one of these books available through our eCommunity!

• The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach, available on Hoopla also available in Spanish
• Egg to Butterfly by Rachel Tonkin, available on Hoopla

Extension Activity:

We are taking care of our butterflies from Insect Lore and will also be planting a butterfly garden! We also watched this short video on a butterfly’s life cycle.