Butterfly mobile

After all the spooky Halloween stuff we've been doing we felt the need for something different!

We recently rediscovered a lovely book called Creative Play for your toddler, the title is a little misleading as it's a Steiner toy making manual, toddlers wouldn't be able to make any of it and the toys are also suitable for older children... But having said this, the projects themselves are lovely (see link to book at the end of the post) and me and Reuben very much enjoyed making this butterfly mobile, he could do the butterflies himself and I put it all together.

 

Tissue paper butterflies

 

How to make it

You will need: Flexible cane, coloured ribbon, sharp scissors, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, sewing thread.

 

1. Decide on the diameter of your mobile and wind the cane into a ring. Secure.

2. Wind a length of coloured ribbon around the ring for decoration.

3. Attach four equal length ribbons to the cane ring making sure they are evenly spaced and hang level. Then attach another ribbon to the four so that you can hang the mobile centrally from a single ribbon.

4. To make the butterflies cut shapes from folded tissue paper to make sure they are symmetrical. Layer the paper so that you cut several butterflies at a time.

5. Choosing different colours, layer two or three butterfly shapes on top of each other. Fold a pipe cleaner in half and pinch the tissue paper between the two halves, scrunching the paper gently to give the butterfly form.

6. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner to secure the tissue paper and bend the ends to form the head and feelers.

7. Fluff up the wings, then tie a length of sewing thread to each end of the pipe cleaner. Attach a second piece of thread to the first and knot so that it can slide up and down the first thread until the butterfly hangs straight.

8. Attach the butterflies to the cane ring making sure they are evenly spaced and hung at different lengths.

 

Enjoy!!