Butterflies will feel invited into your yard with this easy and captivating craft, great for pre-school and school-age range children. Create a DIY butterfly feeder to attract butterflies with the sweetness of sugar and creativity. This craft will encourage the use of fine motor skills such as cutting and threading beads through yarn. This craft is also a great way to observe the intricate colors and patterns of butterflies; you may also feel intrigued to learn more about this beautiful insect along with other fun bugs!
Supplies
- One Plastic Lid (I used a recycled lid from a cheese container)
- Yarn
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Pony Beads (30-40, for decoration)
- Hole Punch
- Very Ripe Fruit
Step 1: Holes in Plastic Lid
First, you are going to begin by making holes into your plastic lid. These holes will determine the way your butterfly feeder hangs. Grab your plastic lid and place the inside of the plastic lid facing up. Now take your hole-puncher and align it over the top of your plastic lid, near the edge. Now give the handle a firm squeeze to insert your hole. Repeat this step so you have 4 holes. One hole at the top and bottom, and one hole on the two sides. Try to space these holes equally apart the best you can so that your feeder hangs straight! This step can be tricky, ask an adult if you need help!
Tip: This is a great way to recycle items in your fridge. A great example is using the lid from a yogurt container!
Step 2: Cutting and Measuring Yarn
Next, grab your yarn, scissors and ruler. This yarn will be used to hang your butterfly feeder, we will now measure out four pieces. The length of your yarn pieces should be about 18 inches long. If you are using a 12 inch ruler it will be the length of the entire ruler plus half of the ruler. Take your scissors and cut the yarn into four equal pieces.
Stop 3: Tying Yarn
Now that you have four pieces of yarn, grab your plastic lid and face the inside up. Take your yarn and individually string the yarn through each hole. After the yarn has been pulled through, tie the bottom of each piece of yarn to the holes in the plastic lid.
Step 4: Decorating
Now that you have four pieces of yarn tied to your plastic lid it is time to decorate with pony beads!
To decorate the yarn, string the pony beads one by one through the yarn. Feel free to be creative and use any colored pony beads to make a design or pattern. I strung 10 pony beads on each string, and I chose rainbow-colored beads. After you have strung your pony beads to each piece of yarn you will grab the top of each yarn and tie them together!
Step 5: Hanging Butterfly Feeder
Now you are ready to hang your butterfly feeder! This step may require the help of an adult depending on where you would like your butterfly feeder to hang. You will want to hang your butterfly feeder in a shady area where butterflies will feel safe and where you can sit and observe. I chose to hang my feeder on the fence in my backyard. I can sit and observe the butterflies through my back window! Once you have found your hanging spot, grab the top of the yarn and loop it over a tree branch, on a nail or side of a fence.
Tip: If you have a tree nearby it is easy to hang your butterfly feeder on a tree branch.
Step 6: Adding Fruit
After your butterfly feeder is hung, gather your ripe fruit to place on your feeder. Types of fruit can be watermelon, strawberries, oranges, and bananas. Butterflies are particularly fond of oranges! Go ahead and add several pieces of the ripe fruit on the top of the plastic lid. I already had over ripe bananas and apples, so I put those on my feeder!
Step 7: DIY Butterfly Feeder Completed
Yay, you are all finished! Now sit back and observe your craft attracting butterflies. It may be fun to grab a notebook and pen to record how many butterflies you see each day and what colors they are!
Tip: Replace fruit once a week!
~Made by Brittni P.