Blue Butterfly

Total Time Needed:: Afternoon Or Evening

This costume's hat, boots and plump belly are just right for those cool autumn nights when most little creatures prefer to stay safely tucked into their cocoons.

Materials

Pencil
2 sheets of corrugated cardboard
Utility knife
Tempera paints and paintbrushes
Cellophane
Glue
8 feet of cording
2 silly straws
2 googly eyes

Knit ski cap
Blue shirt
Tights
Socks
Sneakers
48-inch piece of batting
24-inch piece of nylon
Diaper pins

Instructions

For the wings: Draw the butterfly wings on one piece of the cardboard that extends roughly from the top of your child's hips to the back of his head and no more than 8 inches beyond his shoulders (our butterfly has a wingspan of about 2 feet).
Draw a simple decorative pattern on the wings. Cut out the wing shape and pattern using a utility knife. Trace the shape onto the second piece of cardboard and cut out.
Paint one side of each wing shape. When dry, place one wing paint-side down on your work surface and cut pieces of cellophane to lay over the cutouts in the wing.
Glue the second wing on top so that the cellophane is sandwiched in place. Poke three holes in the wing and thread the cord through them so it hangs evenly.
For the antennae: Glue one googly eye to the tip of each silly straw, then tape the straws about halfway down the ski hat. Fold up the brim to hide the tape.
For the body: Have your child put on the blue shirt, tights and sneakers. Pull the blue socks on over sneakers. Wrap the batting around his middle a few times, then tightly wrap the piece of nylon over the batting. Use a few diaper pins to pin the nylon in place.
Put on the wings: Hold the wings up to your child's shoulders, then help him put one arm through each cord strap, so he wears the wings like a backpack. Run the cord ends around his waist a few times and tie in place.