Wacky Wednesday: LadyBugs!

Wacky Wednesday!

LadyBugs

Crafts:

• Lady Bug Bottles: Glue, Fabric Paint(Black and White), Gogglie Eyes, Black Chenille Stems, 1 Square of Red Felt, 1 Two Liter Plastic Bottle,  2 Round Plastic Bottle Caps

1. Carefully cut the two liter bottle in half at the seam. Set aside.  Glue the plastic caps together with glue and let dry. 
2. Cover the body with red felt and secure at the seam with a low melt glue gun.  
3. Glue the dried bottle caps to the top of the body to form the face.  If you don't have black bottle caps, paint the caps with black fabric paint. Let dry.
4. Use black fabric paint to decorate your lady bug with polka dots.
5. Glue two chenille stems to the back of the head for an antennae.
6. Glue on eyes to the face and paint a smile with white fabric paint.

• Lady Bug Love: Purple foam craft, green and black pipe cleaners, Pom Poms (Red 1", 2 Black 1/2", 4 Red 5mm, 14 black 3mm), four 4mm gogglie eyes, magnet strip, glue, your child's picture.

1. Cut the purple foam into a square.  Cut a square out the middle of the square for you child's picture.
2. Make 2 lady bugs.  Glue a black(head) pom pom onto the red(body) pom pom. Make a little V out of the pipe cleaner for the antennae. Glue little red pom poms onto the ends of the pipe cleaner.  Glue the antennae onto the head. Glue on the eyes.  
3. Glue 7 little black pom poms onto the back of each lady bugs for the spots.  Let dry.
4. Glue little green pipe cleaners onto the frame for grass.  
5. Glue the two lady bugs onto the frame.
6. Put magnet onto back of frame.
7. Tape picture onto the back of the frame.   Place for fridge.

You can make a couple ladybugs and place it on top of a mitten for a hand puppet.  Or on top on the finger tips of a mitten for finger puppets.

• Ladybug Stick Puppet: Red paper, pencil, scissors, black felt-tipped pen, black tissue paper, stick glue, craft stick, paint 

1. Paint the craft stick and let it dry.
2. Fold a piece of red paper in half.  Draw half a ladybug shape onto the paper-- a plump semicircle with a slightly pointed end.  Cut out the ladybug shape.
3. Use the black felt-tipped pen to draw a line down the middle of the red shape for wings and color the head.
4. Roll about eight small balls of black tissue paper and glue them onto the ladybug.
5. Glue ladybug onto the stick.  

• Ladybug Paper-Weight: Air-drying clay, Paint(red, black, and blue acrylic paint), paintbrush

1. Roll a ball of clay about 4.5 cm (1 3/4) wide between your palms.  Roll the ball into an oval, then flatten it slightly.  Set this ladybug shape aside to dry, which takes about a day.
2. Paint the ladybug red with a paintbrush and leave the paint to dry.
3. Paint the front of the ladybug black for its head.  Paint a line along the center of the back to divide the wings.  Paint a black circle on each wing.
4. When the black paint has dried, make dots for eyes on the ladybug's head with blue paint. Leave the ladybug to dry.

Keep air-drying clay in an airtight container to stop it from drying out.

Glue on sequins or beads for eyes, if you wish.

Always wet both pieces of clay with water when you join pieces together(and do it before the clay has hardened).

• Wandering Ladybug: Juice can lid, 12 twist-ties, connected in sets of two,  2 white hole-reinforcer eyes, black craft foam circle(the size of a milk jug lid), 4" length of gold cord(or pipe cleaner), tiny sequins, red felt, black glue-paint(mix together equal amounts of glue and paint), scissors, black marker(for tracing), craft glue, paintbrush

1. Trace the juice can lid onto the red felt.  Cut out the resulting circle; then cut out a small wedge from that circle.
2. Paint the underside of the lid with black glue-paint.  Also paint one side of each set of twist-tie legs.  Let all the paint dry.
3. Glue on the foam circle(head) and twist-tie legs.
4. Glue the red wings onto the lid with the wedge opposite the head.
5. Cut the gold cord in half; then glue the pieces onto the head to resemble antennae.
6. Stick on hole-reinforcer eyes.
7. Glue tiny sequins onto the wings.
8. When the glue is dry, shape the legs and antennae as desired.

Use a clothespin to hold the antennae in place while the glue dries.

• Button Bug: Large and small button, glue, pipe cleaners

1. Use a large button for the bug's body.  Glue on small pipe cleaner pieces for legs.  
2. For a head, loop a small length of pipe cleaner into a ring and glue the edge of it to the front of the bug's body. 
3. Glue a smaller button on top of the loop to complete the head. 

• Paper Plate LadyBug: Paint(Red and Black), Black Pipe Cleaners, 2 Large and Small Paper Plate, Gogglie Eyes, Metal Paper Fastener, Hole Puncher

1. Paint one large plate black and one red.  Paint small plate red.  Let dry.
2. Paint black dots onto the red plate.  Let dry. Cut large red plate in half.
3. Place plate halves(wings) on top of the large black plate.  Then place 1/4 small red plate(head) on top of wings. Fasten together with metal paper fastener.
4. Glue on eyes.
5. Punch two holes in the top of the head for the pipe cleaner(antennae) to go into.  Thread the pipe cleaner into the holes and twist to fasten.
6. Punch four holes onto each side of black large plate for the feet to go into.  Thread the pipe cleaner into the holes and twist to fasten.
7. The wings should be able to open and shut and the head should be able to move too.

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• Bookmark Buddies: Paint, craft stick or tongue depressor, red and black markers or paint, black pipe cleaner, large black pom pom, 2 goggie eyes, glue

1. Paint the craft stick or tongue depressor red. Let dry, then add black spots with markers or paint.
2. Bend a 2-inch piece of pipe cleaner in half to form a V.  Glue the V to one end of the craft stick, pointing up.
3. Glue on pom pom head and gogglie eyes.  Let dry.

• LadyBug Frame: Cardboard; Sticky Red Foam Craft; Black Pipe Cleaners; Finger Paint (Red and Black); Gogglie Eyes

1. Stick red foam craft onto a piece of cardboard.  Cut into a rectangle.  Cut the middle out to form the frame.  Paint the middle red.  Let dry.
2. Take black pipe cleaner and cut in half.  Bend the end to form antennae.  Glue onto top of frame.
3. Glue eyes onto top of frame.
4. Have your child put black spots all over the frame. 
5. Place pipe cleaners into the sides, between the cardboard and foam,  to form the legs.

Activities: 

• Play-doh Ladybug: Play-doh(red and black), Toothpicks or Pipe Cleaners

1. Mold a piece of play-doh into a ladybug.  
2. Place little black dots onto the bug.
3. Place toothpicks or pipe cleaners for the antennae and feet.

• LadyBug Game: Small Butter Tub; Very Small Black Pom Poms; Hole Puncher; Cardboard; Red Construction Paper; Black Marker

1. Place the butter tub upright onto a piece of red paper.  Trace around the tub. Cut it out.  Place paper in tub to see if it fits. Then take the circle, place it onto a piece of cardboard and trace around it.  Cut out the circle.  Glue red piece onto the cardboard.
2. Take paper out and draw head  and draw a line down the middle to form the lady bug.  Punch out holes to form the spots.
3. Place paper back into the tub and add small pom-poms into the tub.
4. See if your child can get the pom pom into the holes.

• Musical Ladybugs: similar to musical chairs but the kids had to fly around the room. When the music stopped they had to find a leaf to sit on.
• More Ladybug Crafts, Games, Ladybug Birthday Cake at Amazing Moms
• Grouchy Ladybug Game by Eric Carle
• Everything Ladybug Website:  They have online games, facts, cookies, poetry, cliparts, products and more.

Snack:

• Jello LadyBug : Plastic circular-shaped salad bowls; Red Gelatin(2 to 3 packages); Raisins; Licorice Sticks; Large Mixing Bowl; Large Spoon

1. Make Gelatin packages according to box in large bowl.  
2. Divide the gelatin mix into plastic circular-shaped bowls.  Refrigerate until ready.
3. Turn bowl upside on a plate.  
4. Have your child add raisins onto the top for the spots and eyes.
5. Have your child push in licorice sticks for the legs and antennae.

Books:

1. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
2. Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
3. Ladybug Girl by Jackie Davis
4. Ladybug, Ladybug, What are you doing? by JoAnn Cleland
5. The Little Ladybug by Jourdan Devant

Some ideas were found in the following books:

• Look What You Can Make With Dozens of Household Items by Boyds Mills Press
• Big Book of Monthly Arts & Crafts by The Mailbox
• Creative Crafts For Kids by Hamlyn
• Pom-Poms 50+ Projects by Design Originals     For a color catalog featuring over 200 terrific "How-To" books. Visit www.d-originals.com
• Bottle Cap Activities by Kathy Cisneros