Here’s a quick paper towel butterfly craft that even little hands can master with a little help from a grownup. All you need are some simple supplies:
- 2 sections of paper towel, or one section of 2-ply towels
- Scissors
- Washable markers
- Masking tape
- A spray bottle
- Pipe cleaners
Creating your paper towel butterfly
- Start by separating a section of paper towel from the roll and trimming off one edge so that the remaining section is square.
- Tape your paper towel section to the counter or table with masking tape so that it won’t move around.
- Let your toddler color the paper towel, adding several different colors. (Repeat with the second paper towel if yours is not 2-ply).
- Gently remove the masking tape from the paper towels.
- Spray the paper towel sections lightly with a light spritz of water and watch the colors start to bleed and blend. If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can gently wet the towel under a light stream of water. Note that the ink will bleed onto anything that touches the paper towel, so it’s best to protect your surface with an old towel.
- Allow the paper towel to dry.
- Once your 2-ply paper towel is dry, you can carefully peel the layers apart so that you have two matching sections.
- Beginning at one of the corners, fold the paper towel diagonally into an accordion-style fold. Repeat with the second section of paper towel.
- Pinch paper towel accordions in the center.
- Choose a coordinating or contrasting chenille stick (pipe cleaner) and hold it against the pinched section of paper towel, then wrap it around the pinched center, leaving a 2 1/2 inch section sticking upward to form the butterfly antennae.
- Carefully wind the pipe cleaner around the pinched section of paper towels 2-3 times.
- Finish by trimming the remaining pipe cleaner so that the second antennae is the same length as the first one.
- Give the protruding antennae a twist to hold them together.
- Attach a magnet to the back if you would like to use this as a refrigerator magnet. Another option is to hang several on a window or string a few over a child’s bed for a fun bedroom decoration.
