Tissue Paper Butterflies

I've certainly gotten my money's worth out of this project. My popular Symmetrical Butterflies lesson for third grade got simplified for my little Kinders. Instead of painting with glitter paint, the Kinders used Mod Podge (liquid starch is another good option) and tissue paper to decorate their symmetrical butterflies. I thought they did a terrific job!

"Eric Carle" Inspired Butterflies

Eric Carle is my inspiration. I love everything his art embodies and I think children do, too.
I do many "Eric Carle" styled lessons with my lower elementary students as they are less concerned with making things perfect and tend to let the color and energy of the paintings colorful, fresh and innocent.

These adorable butterflies are created with several templates that I created for my first graders.
(Exciting News! I have "Eric Carle" inspired lesson plans complete with butterfly, seahorse, mermaid and owl templates! Click on the Google Checkout button below to purchase.)
The children make their paper one day and trace the templates the next. It's a great group projects where children create and share their colorful painted papers.
For more Eric Carle fun, visit my other lessons: Fish, Seahorses, Barns and Farms and Owls.

Symmetrical Butterflies

This is a lesson I usually do with my third graders, but it could suit almost any grade level.
It's great to have a variety of butterfly pictures posted on the white board for visual interest.
This lesson begins with a sheet of 12" x 18" white construction paper.
Instructions:

Step One:
Instruct the students to fold their paper in half (width wise).
Now, on one side of the paper (using the fold as a guide) flatten out the paper and draw one half of a butterfly.

Step Two:
After drawing half the butterfly, fold the paper over and rub the paper. The oil pastel will transfer onto the other half of the paper. It's important to use a dark color oil pastel that is creamy not brittle, otherwise, the pastel will not transfer properly. Also, make sure the kids generate a little heat! This aids in the transferring of the oil pastel.

Step Three:
Open up the paper and you will see the lines appear of the other side of the paper. They will be faint. Now, trace over the lines to create a perfect symmetrical butterfly!

Step Four:
Paint the butterfly with watercolor paints. Cake form is best. Stress how important it is to keep the colors the same on both sides of the butterfly.

Step Five:
If desired, cut out butterfly and glue onto a colored piece of construction paper.