Spring Activities

May Day Paper Plate Basket

Materials:

• printer,
• glue,
• scissors,
• something to colour with
• paper plate
• paint and paintbrush

Instructions:

• Print out two or three copies of the flower templates.
• Colour the pieces as appropriate and cut them out.
• Cut out the top half of the paper plate, leaving the rim intact.
• This will likely require a parent’s assistance.
• paint the bottom of the paper plate including the rim.
• Trace the plate onto a piece of construction paper or cardboard (old cereal boxes work well).
• Cut out the piece.
• Glue or tape the piece onto the back of the painted plate.  This will create a narrow ‘pocket’ or basket.
• Glue flowers into the basket.  Some against the back of the basket and some inside the front.  You can even add a couple hanging over the edge.
• You can slip little candies or messages inside the basket.
• Trace handprints onto construction paper in whatever colour you prefer.
• Glue or tape the handprints along the rim of the basket as a handprint handle.

Paper Chain Butterfly

Materials

• 2 pieces of white paper or construction paper
• paint in various colors
• construction paper (2 or 3 colors)
• scissors
• scotch tape or glue
• wiggly eyes (optional)
• black marker

Instructions:

Wings:

• Set one piece of white paper out on the table.
• Squeeze splotches of different paint colors onto the white paper in a few different spots
• Place the second sheet of white paper over top of the first so all the edges line up
• Smoosh your hands over the paper to spread out the paint that’s sandwiched between the pieces.  You might want a piece of newspaper underneath in case any paint oozes out the sides
• Peel the pieces of paper apart and set aside to dry (you should have two pieces that are mirror images of each other
• Once the paint is dry, put them back together face to face (paint side to paint side) again.
• Cut a rough wing shape out of the pages.
• Take them apart again and tape the pages together so you have wings for your butterfly
• You can paint around the outside edge of the wings with glitter glue or one of the paint colors you used for the wings.
• Cut about 8 strips of construction paper 2 inches wide and 10 inches long
• Decide what type of pattern you want to make.  We made a pink, purple, pink, purple… pattern for ours.
• Make your first strip of construction paper into a ring and tape or glue it together
• Slide your next strip of construction paper through the ring and tape or glue it into a ring
• Repeat the process until you have a chain of construction paper rings just a little bit longer than your wings.
• Lay your chain onto your wings
• Every spot the chain lies flat on the wings, use tape or glue to attach them.
• Antennas:
  • Cut two 1/4 inch by 5 inch pieces of construction paper.
  • Wrap each around a pencil to make it curly
  • Fold a tab at the bottom of each piece
  • Glue the tabs onto the top of the head to make two antennas
• Eyes:
  • glue wiggly eyes onto the front of the head
    OR
  • draw two eyes onto the front of the head with a marker
• Mouth:
  • draw a mouth onto the front of the head with a marker

Ladybug Crown

Materials:

• red and black construction paper
• 2 pipe cleaners (we used black)
• pencil
• scissors
• tape
• glue

Instructions:

• Cut 4 hearts from black or red construction paper (that’s what we’ll put at the top of the pipecleaners).  This is a good opportunity to show the children how to fold paper in half to make a perfect heart.
• Cut 2 or 3 strips of red construction paper about 4″ wide and as long as you can make them
• Tape the pieces end to end to make a really long piece.
• Wrap around the child’s head to measure how long you need and trim off the excess (don’t tape into a circle yet).
• Cut circles out of black construction paper.  Children can use a white pencil crayon and round object (baby food jar lids work well) to trace circles onto the paper and then cut them out, or you can just cut your circles freehand.
• Wrap the pipecleaner around a pencil to make a ‘spring’ with it.  An adult can wrap the first couple loops and then hand it over to the child to finish.
• Straighten about 1/2 inch of the top and bottom of the spring (so it’s easier to do the taping).
• Repeat with the other pipecleaner.
• Tape a heart onto the top of each pipecleaner.  Flip over and glue or tape the 3rd and 4th heart onto the back of the 1st and 2nd (to sandwich the pipecleaner in between the hearts)
• Tape both pipecleaners to the long piece of construction paper so they either sit at the front of the head or the sides of the head
• Tape the construction paper ends together to form a crown and put it on!