Activity #5: Fluttering Butterfly

Most butterflies fly at 5 to 12 miles per hour! They have been seen flying by tall buildings, like the Empire State Building, at heights of 1,000 feet!! Storm fronts can pick them up and move them hundreds of miles at heights of several thousand feet.

The name for a group of butterflies is “rabble”. The Monarch Butterfly (the black and orange one you often see in your back yard) is the only butterfly to migrate (travel a long distance) two ways. The rabbles head to Mexico each winter, going a distance of almost 3,000 miles. No individual monarch makes the full trip back. Partway back North, the females lay eggs that will hatch and continue the trip home-what a tiring trip!

Grab you supplies for Day 1, Activity #5 to create your own fluttering butterfly. You will use your own tape, scissors and markers or crayons from home.

Steps:

1. Fold your paper in half along the short edge.

2. Measure 1” in from the fold on each side of the paper. Draw a line with a ruler from this mark parallel to the fold to use as a folding guide. Fold along these marked lines outward and away from each other. *Use your ruler as a creasing guide.

3. Keeping all of your folds intact, use the butterfly template to draw the wings of your butterfly onto the paper. Cut this out.

4. Draw some pattern lines on your butterfly and add some color and any other embellishments (decorations) you would like.

5. Glue the butterfly wings together along the fold and let dry. *You may need to clip them together until the glue sets.

6. Cut 1” slits down from the top of the thin straw with scissors (two slits opposite each other). Make 2” cuts down the thick straw.

7. Turn your butterfly upside down, so that the folded edge is facing up. Slot the folded edge into the cuts at the top of the thin straw. Tape the straw to the paper.

8. Thread the wider straw onto the thinner straw. Fan out the cut ends and tape them to the underside of the butterfly wings. *Make the cuts in the thick straw a bit longer if you need to.

9. Your butterfly is ready to flutter! Hold the thin straw in your hand. With your other hand, move the wide straw up and down to make the wings move!

Activity source: https://masandpas.com