DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Buzzing Bugs Paper Plate Craft

Contributed by Leanne Guenther

You can mix and match all the different templates and paint your paper plate to represent any color flower you like.   There is a handprint option!

Once your craft is complete, you'll have a number of figures that you can buzz around your paper plate.  Because we use a brass brad to attach the templates, the children will be able to spin their bugs around their flowers.

Materials:

• paper plate,
• brass tab ("brass brad")
• sharp pencil or nail
• paint, paintbrush
• Optional:  markers
• Optional:  glue and construction paper
• Optional:  sponges (for sponge painting).
• scissors,
• hole punch,
• printer and paper
• something to color with (if using the B&W templates).
• Optional:  glue and thin cardboard (old cereal boxes work well) or poster board -- makes the templates that go around the paper plate a bit sturdier

Instructions:

• Paint the "bottom" of your paper plate:  your paper plate has the side you'd eat from and the side you'd place on the table -- the bottom is the side you'd place on the table.
  • use colors to represent the flower you're making
  • use sponges to dab on complimentary colors and give texture to your flower
  • use a marker or darker color of paint to outline some petals on the plate

OR:

• paint your plate a base color (green is nice!), 
  • let dry and
  • Cut construction paper petals and glue them in circles around the plate

OR:

• paint your plate a base color (green is nice!), 
  • let dry and
  • Cut construction paper handprints and glue them in circles around the plate
• Let dry.
• Poke a hole in the center of the plate with a nail or sharp pencil (adult assistance).
• Print out the template(s) of choice.  There are a wide variety to choose from!
• Optional:  glue the template page onto thin cardboard (old cereal boxes or poster board, for example) to make your creation sturdier.
• use the hole punch to punch a hole in the bottom of the template rectangle.
• Color (B&W version) and cut out the templates.
• Push the brass brad through the paper plate and the templates you've chosen.
• spin your bugs around your flower!

Templates:

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

Bumblebee template           (color)    or   (B&W)

Butterfly template                (color)    or   (B&W)

Dragonfly template            (color)    or   (B&W)

Fly template                         (color)    or   (B&W)

Ladybug template              (color)    or   (B&W)