Origami Insects

Origami Butterfly

Exploring Card Making and Insects

(Projects can be Community Service, MLK or Valentine Holiday Related)

Origami Butterfly 

Vocabulary: Symmetry, asymmetry, origami

Materials: Glue, scissors, paper, pencil/markers/colored pencils/crayons

Directions:

  1. See Origami Butterfly Handout
  2. Start with basic origami tent fold, pulling up one wing on each
  3. Fold down triangle head to hold wings in place
  4. Fold butterfly in half through the middle of the body
  5. Fold wings away from body
  6. Ass extra creases to make wings look alive
  7. Students can then decorate butterflies with markers

Opportunity for Discussion and Play:

  • Students can research pollinators
  • They can create a flower garden out of construction paper or tissue paper
  • Students can draw metamorphosis of caterpillar using white paper drawn with outline of a jar and talk about transformations they have noticed in their schools or neighborhoods
  • Students can make caterpillars with a series of circles for body, rectangles for feet, and triangles for back decoration

See also: Origami Barnyard

Animated children’s books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Folded hearts to make butterflies and ladybugs

Directions:

1. See templates
2. Trace template, fold construction paper, cut, and color

Ladybug, Ladybug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6oLjMJ2FMQ 

3-D Dragonfly

Directions:

1. Students cut a dragonfly body and wings out of strong paper or oak tag
2. Decorate with marker
3. Cut slits into the dragonfly body pull through wings so that it can stand