These fuzzy bugs are so cute, they'll be a welcome (and amusing) sight hanging out in anyone's houseplants.

Materials

• Black pipe cleaner, cut in half
• Black pompon
• Large red pompon
• Red pipe cleaner, cut in thirds
• Multicolored spiraled pipe cleaner
• Craft glue

• Googly eyes
• Mini red pompon
• Thin craft foam ( in red and black)
• Red and white spiraled pipe cleaner
• ¼-inch wooden dowel, 1 foot long

Instructions

1. Create the ladybug's head and body by wrapping one half of the black pipe cleaner around the black and large red pompons. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together under the bug's body (see A).

2. Slip the three pieces of red pipe cleaner between the black pipe cleaner and pompons on the underside of the bug. Bend to form legs (B).

3. For the antennae, slip the multicolored pipe cleaner under the black pipe cleaner on the topside of the bug, just behind the black pom-pom (C). Twist and shape it, trim the ends if necessary.

4. Glue on googly eyes and a red mini pompon nose. Cut a red mouth and black spots out of foam and glue them onto the bug.

5. To attach the bug to the dowel stake, tightly wrap the red and white pipe cleaner around the top of the dowel and hook the end to the underside of the bug.

Variations:

Kids can adjust the directions slightly to fashion a bumblebee or greenfly, or better yet, create completely new multilegged critters of their own.

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• December/January 2001