This project occupied my 3-year-old for an hour and a half…and he is not really an art-kind of kid. Usually, painting lasts 20 minutes and then we move on to building structures or dismantling the ottoman (again). I was completely astonished that this project went so well.
We had seen a wooden butterfly on a stick at our local craft store and Ronan was intrigued. I knew we could whip something up at home with stuff from around the house. All you need is some paper (for painting, we use a heavier stock), wooden skewers, and a wine cork.
I hand-drew a butterfly (approximately 4” x 4”) and then cut it out and only used one side to trace the other butterflies. You will need to fold the paper over. This makes the rest of the butterflies symmetrical, although, most kids won’t care if it’s not perfect.
I drew some details on a few butterflies to get Ronan started and left a few blank in case he wanted to do his own thing. He painted for 20 minutes and then moved on to crayons and markers.
Here is the point where I'd love to show you a picture of my child painting his butterfly. Alas, he is three and we do give him choices...
Me: "Hey, Ronan, can I take a picture of you painting?"
Ronan: "No."
Me: "Really?"
Ronan: "No, pictures, Mommy."
Me: "Okay." (sniff, sniff)
To complete the project, grab your used wine cork and make a hole using a pair of scissors, an ice pick, or something thin and sharp. Snap your wooden skewer in half and put the pointy side in the cork.
Seeing as how I am very, very pregnant, there isn’t a whole lot of wine being drunk at the moment, so the only cork I had was rubber. I had to slice the bottom with a knife to make it level for the table.
Tape the butterfly to the stick and attach another butterfly on the other side. Display proudly!
