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With summer coming many of us
see ladybugs everywhere. Why not create some special
ladybugs you can keep on the porch or even inside in some
special places?
This is a fun craft that
kids can do. They may need some help with putting the tape
on to evenly paint a straight line, and you also may want
to handle the permanent marker (for putting dots onto the
ladybug) – but otherwise should be able to negotiate the
project just fine on their own.
This craft does involve
painting parts of the ladybugs and then leaving it
overnight (or for at least four hours) to dry. This is
very important to make sure the paint sets. This is the
perfect craft for a weekend project to do with children
– by the end of the weekend the bugs are done. Just know
going into it that this is not an instant project so
children won’t be disappointed.
Materials You Will Use:
Rocks that can fit into the
palm of your hand. Select oval or rounded rocks. Can use
larger rocks if you wish to.
Red and black tempura
paints
Paintbrushes with assorted
widths – medium to fine sized points
A black permanent marker
Masking tape
Scissors
Optional: gold or silver
metallic paint pen (these are often toxic and are not
child safe, if using with a small child be sure they do
not put this in their mouths!)
1. Clean your rocks with
warm soapy water and dish detergent. Let rocks dry.
2. Paint rocks red and
allow them to dry. Drying may take four hours, or they may
need to dry overnight. It is very important to let rocks
dry completely before going onto the next step.
3. Take a piece of masking
tape the width of your rock. We will now paint the
ladybug’s head on. Place the masking tape on about 1/3
of the way onto the rock, creating a head. Now use your
black paint and paint a head for the ladybug. Keep the
tape on while the black paint is drying. *** When placing
tape onto your ladybug, you only need to press the side
that you will be painting onto the ladybug, so do not
press the entire piece of tape down. Only press the side
that will painted down.
*
**
By using the masking tape
– you are creating very clean and even lines. Your
ladybugs will have a very tidy look to them.
4. Next we will create the
black stripe down the ladybugs back. Take two pieces of
masking tape and put them on the ladybug’s back,
allowing for a thin stripe of red between them. Depending
on how large your rock is, this could be 1/8th of an inch
or even 1/4 of an inch. Paint this stripe black and allow
the tape to remain on until dry.
5. Now it is time to draw
dots on the ladybug’s back. You can use paint or even
the permanent marker. It is your choice. Most ladybugs
have many dots, but for space’s sake you will probably
want to put three or four spots on each side of the
ladybug’s back. Once this is dry you are done!
6. If you have several
children making ladybugs consider writing their name in
metallic paint pen along the side of the ladybug’s body.
Your bugs are ready for summer!
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