Hands-On Crafts: Fall Flutter-bys

It is the time of year for nature’s magic show: when the leaves on trees change from vibrant green to every shade of yellow, orange, brown and red. As the leaves swirl in the wind on their way to the ground, they sometimes resemble beautiful butterflies fluttering by. Fall is also the time when the brilliantly colored Monarch butterflies migrate south to warmer roosting grounds for the winter. Parents and their curious kids can celebrate both the beauty of the fall season and the flight of the Monarchs by making these easy ‘fall flutter-bys’ out of gathered leaves and simple items from around the house. This colorful creation will be a fun reminder of warmer days when snowflakes falling from the sky soon replace butterflies fluttering by.

Ages: 2 - 10


Time: one hour


Skills Required: painting, gluing


Materials: brown paper lunch bag, scissors, stapler, clothes pin, washable paint or watercolors, paint brush, glue, Ziploc plastic sandwich bag, leaves, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, thread


Start by heading out on a leaf hunt
A good assortment of colorful fall leaves is needed for this project. Before heading out to gather the leaves, make a quick bag to hold the specimens that you pick up. All you need to do is cut about 2 inches from the top of a brown paper lunch sack. The loop that is cut from the top of the bag can be used as a handle for the bag. Just cut apart the loop so that you have one long piece of the bag and staple or glue the ends to the edges of the bag. Decorate the bag if desired. Then, head out on a walk through the backyard or neighborhood park in search of pretty fall leaves. Gather leaves in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.


Make a colorful butterfly

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