go to DLTK's Homepage
»  25 Newest Activities »  Top 10 Activities
  
[Insect Index]   [Coloring]   [Crafts]   [Games]   [Printables]   [Recipes]   [Songs & Poems]
[Bumblebees]   [Butterflies]   [Caterpillars]   [Dragonflies]   [Ladybugs]   [Spiders]    [Other]

DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Ladybug Wind Chime

This is a fun craft that young children can make (most of the features are template pieces that are glued on).  It's also fun for older children or even adults who can use paint techniques for decorating the project instead of the template pieces.

This takes more store bought supplies than most of the projects on my site, but it's a lot of fun to make as a gift.

Materials:

bulletterra cotta pot (size doesn't matter much if you're painting the details... but the template pieces are for a 4 1/2 inch pot... the 4 1/2 inches refers to the diameter across the top of the pot)
bulletred acrylic paint
bulletblack permanent marker or black acrylic paint
bulletpaint brush (we used a sponge brush... about 25 cents from the craft store or hardware store)
bulletsmall piece of black fun foam
bulletwool or string
bullethole punch
bullet2 buttons that are bigger than the hole in the terra cotta pot -- black or red buttons would be best, but it doesn't really matter.
bulleta few craft beads or hardware store washers/nuts  (this is what will make the sound)
  
bulletIf using the template:
bulletprinter
bulletpaper
bulletmod podge or white glue
  
bulletIf painting the decorations:
bulletblack acrylic paint
bulletfine paint brush
  
bulletIf hanging outdoors
bulletspray on varnish or acrylic spray  (you could use brush on, but the spray on is nice and quick)

Instructions:

I'm assuming you'll be using the template pieces in these directions.  If you aren't, just skip printing and pasting the pieces and paint on the design by hand.

bulletWipe the terra cotta pot with a rag (just to get any dust off)
  
bulletPaint the outside of the pot completely red and set aside to dry  (takes about 1 hour)
  
bulletRepeat, as necessary (we just did one coat, but you may want to do two)
  
bulletYou could do the inside as well, but it isn't necessary
  
bulletPrint out the template and cut out the template pieces.
  
bulletPosition the pot so it's open side down (upside down) and then design your ladybug face:
bulletGlue on the template eyes (you could use large wiggly eyes from the craft store instead)
bulletGlue on a number of black dots.  
bulletDraw on the nose, mouth and eyelashes (if you want) with a permanent black marker.  There are examples on the template but it's best to draw them on yourself.
  
bulletCut a piece of string about 2 feet long.
  
bulletThread the ends through a button
  
bulletTie a loop in the top... this will be what you use for hanging the pot.
  

bulletSlip the ends of the string through the hole in the pot (think of the button as a little hat on top of the ladybug's head)
  
bulletPut the second button onto the string and tie another knot as tight as you can.  (you've made a "sandwich" with the two buttons as the bread and the pot as the filling... the buttons will hold the pot on the string.

bulletTie some beads, nuts or washers onto the strings at various spots, so they all fall inside the pot.
  
bulletTrace the feet onto the black craft foam and cut it out.  
  
bulletPunch holes in the feet.
  

bulletTie the feet onto the bottom of the strings, trimming any excess.  The feet should hang below the pot about 2 to 6 inches.
  
bulletThe feet will be what catch in the wind and make the wind chime make noise.
  
bulletSpray the entire project with two or three coats of spray varnish or spray acrylic.
  
bulletHang outdoors (or indoors) as a cute decoration.

 

Printing the Template:

bulletClose the template window after printing to return to this screen.
    
bulletSet page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).
 

Template

 

 

Printable version of these instructions