Children's Art and Craft Activities for Spring

Butterfly Symmetry

Materials Needed

• Thick white paper
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Tempera paint in squeeze bottles
• Paper towels
• Chenille stems (pre-cut in six inch lengths)
• Glue

Direct children to fold construction paper in half. Show them how to draw one half of a butterfly image on the fold. (See image on right.) With paper still folded, instruct children to cut around outline. Remind them not to cut down the fold!

Have children open their butterflies. Let children take terms dripping assorted colors of tempera paint one drop at a time onto one side of the butterfly. Once they have added desired colors, have them fold butterflies in half and press firmly. (This portion of the project can get a little messy. Have paper towels ready for clean-up!) Open butterflies and allow them to dry. Give each child two chenille stems and instruct them to glue stems side by side inside the fold of the butterfly. The stems should stop at the base of the butterfly, but extend past the top of the butterfly. Have children bend and curl the excess portion of the chenille stems at the top of the butterfly into antennas.

Coffee Filter Butterflies

Materials Needed

• Coffee filters (the ones with the fluted edges and flat bottoms)
• Bowls
• Water
• Food coloring
• Newspaper
• Eye droppers
• Wooden clothespins
• Wiggly eyes
• Chenille stems (Pre-cut into 3-inch lengths)

Pour 1/2 cup of water into six or more bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each.

Cover work area with several layers of newspaper, and give each child a coffee filter. Show children how to use eye droppers to collect colored water and sprinkle it drop by drop onto the coffee filter. Encourage them to continue dripping drops of colored water until coffee filter is nearly covered. (Colors will run together. Assure them that this is part of the project.) 

Allow coffee filters to dry thoroughly. While filters dry, glue wiggly eyes onto either side of the wider ends of clothespin. Curl tips of chenille stems so that they resemble antennas.

Finally, gather flat portion of coffee filter into a bunch and clip it into the narrow (hinged) end of the clothespin. Gently spread fluted edges out for a fuller, winged effect.

Cotton Ball Clouds

Materials Needed

• Blue construction paper (pages may be cut in half horizontally)
• White paint
• Styrofoam trays or paper plates
• Cotton ball

Give each child a sheet of blue paper and a cotton ball. Show children how to dip cotton ball into paint and stamp onto paper. Encourage them to fill page with cotton ball cloud designs of various shapes and sizes.

Compass Rainbows

Materials Needed:

• Compasses
  
• Pencils
  
• Colored paper (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
  
• Scissors
  
• Rulers
  
• Glue

Show children how to use a compass to draw circles. Give each child squares of paper in all six rainbow colors. Have them cut circles of the following sizes:

Red - 6 inches
Orange - 5 inches
Yellow - 4 inches
Green - 3 inches
Blue - 2 inches
Purple - 1 inch

Once all circles are cut, have children use rulers to cut circles in half. Show them how to stack and glue the circles (using rulers to ensure even spacing) to form rainbows.

Note: You may adapt this activity for younger children by pre-drawing circles (and pre-cutting them if necessary).

Egg Carton Caterpillars

Materials Needed:

• Newspaper
  
• Egg cartons (cut apart)
  
• Green paint
  
• Paintbrushes
  
• Hole Punch
• Yarn (pre-cut into 12-inch lengths)
  
• Wiggly eyes
  
• Glue
  
• Chenille stems (pre-cut into 4-inch lengths) 
  
• Permanent marker

Cut cardboard egg cartons apart cup by cup. Cover work area with several layers of old newspaper. Place green paint in work area. Give each child five or six cups and a paintbrush. Instruct children to paint outsides of egg cups, covering the surface completely. None of the carton should show through. Allow painted cups to dry.

After cups have dried, punch two holes (on opposite sides) in each one. Give each child a 12-inch length of yarn, with a knot tied in one end and taped wrapped around the other (for ease in stringing). Show children how to thread taped end of yarn through holes to connect cups. Once all cups are connected and the caterpillar's body is completed, tie off yarn.

Glue wiggly eyes onto the caterpillar's face. Add chenille stem antennas. Draw mouths and any other desired facial features on with permanent markers.

My Spring Garden

Materials Needed

• White drawing paper
• Pastel-colored cupcake liners
• Glue
• Crayons
• (Optional) Potting soil

Give each child an 8 1/2 x 11 (A4) or larger piece of paper. Instruct children to draw flower stems and leaves that go no higher than half-way up the page. Glue cupcake liners onto flower stems to create flowers. If desired, rub glue stick along bottom of page, sprinkle with potting soil, and shake off excess.
Add additional details (sun, sky, clouds, etc.) with crayons.

Puffy Clouds

Materials Needed:

• Tulip pattern
• Cardstock or thin cardboard
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Tempera paint in spring floral colors (or thinned glue)
• Paintbrushes
• Salt (or colored sand)

Pre-cut tulip patterns out of corrugated cardboard. Show children how to place tulip pattern on cardstock or thin cardboard, trace around it, and cut out tulip.

Cover work area with several layers of old newspaper. Allow children to paint tulips in the color(s) of their choice. While paint is still wet, sprinkle tulips with salt. Allow paint to dry thorougly, then shake off excess paint.

Finished tulips can be arranged into a lovely tulip garden bulletin board.

Variation: Paint cardstock with thinned glue instead of paint. Dip tops of flowers in floral-colored sand. Dip stems and leaves into green sand. Allow to dry, and assemble.