The Best Nature Butterfly Leaf Craft For Kids
An outdoor education activity; Use leaves that you find outside on a nature walk to paint and make leaf prints, then use the leaf prints to make butterfly art with your children. This is a super fun butterly leaf activity that you and your kids will love!
Leaf printing activity for kids
Every year in my Kindergarten class we order butterflies.
That means we order tiny baby caterpillars, watch them grow into big huge caterpillars, from cocoons and eventually emerge as butterflies. We ordered them from a local biz called Flutter Buys this year and had a great experience.
Due to school closures for Covid 19 we got to keep the caterpillars at home this year and needless to say, my daughters were pumped!
After watching the caterpillars grow and after we had had the butterflies in their little tank for a few days we let them go in a nearby trail. I was over it and ready to say buh bye to the little creatures but my kids were so not done with butterflies! Since I’m all about nature crafts and any sort of art that can be done with leaves I knew it was time to get my thinking cap on and figure out the cutest way possible to make butterflies out of leaves.
Check out how we did it!
How to make a butterfly out of leaves
Ok, first thing first! I do not encourage taking leaves off of a growing tree.
So what we did was go on a nature walk and I got the kids to look all around the ground. You’d be surprised how many leaves have fallen on the ground in the Spring and Summer! Especially if you head out after a rainy day like we did. Your kids will have extra fun if you go on your nature hunt wearing these fun nature crowns!
We found big leaves, small leaves, leaves of different shapes and colours and collected them in a bag. Then I laid them out to dry for a while. I didn’t feel the need to press them but that might be a good idea if you are doing the craft a day after collecting the leaves. To press them I usually just stack books on top of them. Works like a charm ;)
Now it’s print-making time (the most fun part in my opinion). You paint the leaves using whatever kid-friendly paint you have. I used finger paint. Turn the leaf paint-side down and cover with a paper towel. Gently use your hands to press all sides of the leaf down. You can use a tiny rolling pin or a roller from a playdough set to do this if you like.
If your kids are into mermaids as well then check out how to make an easy DIY mermaid sensory bin as well.
Lift the leaf off and voilà! You have a made a leaf print!
This is when I get all teachery because it’s the perfect time to talk about symmetry in butterflies.
Explain to the kids that whatever you use on one side of the butterfly you have to do on the other side as well. Yaaaaassss! It feels to good to make math fun lol. While you are waiting for the paint to dry (because that feels like FOREVER) when you are an excited kid, you can burn off some energy with this sidewalk chalk obstacle course or this sidewalk chalk rock shapes game. So much fun!
There are two ways to make the leaf-prints into butterflies. You can print them right onto the paper in a butterfly shape OR you can cut them out and glue them on construction paper like we did. This way has a more polished look.
Below is the quick and dirty version on how to make these leaf-print butterflies.
Materials:
leaves
Method:
Go outside and collect some fallen leaves (you’d be surprised at how many leaves you can find on the ground in the spring or summer!)
Paint the leaves with tempera or finger paints
Turn the leaves over on a piece of paper, cover with a paper towel and press it down. The paper towel is to keep your hands slightly less messy ;)
Lift the leaf. Let dry.
Cut out your leaf prints and arrange them in the shape of a butterfly. Talk about symmetry.
Glue the leaf prints down and you’re done!
If your kids love butterflies as much as mine do, go check out this butterfly directed drawing my 4 year old made. I think it turned out so well.
Post a pic on IG and tag me @ouimadamewee if you make these butterflies!
<3 Breyen
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