Nature has a ton of unique and fun craft materials to offer and with just a little imagination we can do wonders. One such activity is our propeller Bugs . Have you noticed the propeller seeds from the Maple tree?
On our walks, Big S noticed the propeller seeds falling down and was so fascinated by them. Upon close “investigation” Big S realized that they look like wings, which opened up a whole new world of artsy crafty play and learning. It was interesting to see a kids perspective of how nature evolves. It was all about “Lets Investigate and Explore”

Here’s a thought – Put together a small bucket, magnifying glass, tweezers and a small notepad and a pen. Call it “EXPLORATION TOOLS”. Take it with you on walks and bike rides. Teach the kids to collect “specimens of” leaves,flowers, pebbles etc.

We took our tiny bucket and collected some seeds. We talked about how trees make seeds and how the seeds grow into new trees. To understand it better, we took some mud in a cup and sowed some seeds to learn “germination” .

She was having so much fun. It truly was a science exploration.

We had to do some crafts with them. Since the seeds looked like wings, It was time for “Ask Questions”

           What have wings that look like a propeller seed?

 Big S:  Butterflies, dragon flies and Bees and Airplanes.

 We decided to make bugs ! —————-   Eeewww Mom ! Bugs are nasty !

 Why do we think bugs are nasty? I don’t know – Well to make things sound better – We called them INSECTS and we were making an INSECTARIUM.

[box title=”Things you need” color=”#980b0b”]

• Propeller seeds
• Tape
• Elmer’s Glue
• Small sticks
• Play Doh/ Model Magic
• Googly Eyes
• Tooth pick

[/box]

Let’s get crafting, Shall we ?

[box title=”How to make a butterfly” color=”#D2691E”]

•  Tape
• Propeller Seeds
• Thin sticks

[/box]

Choose two sets of seeds with the same size. These make the wings for the butterfly. Cut a small piece of tape and place the seeds on the sticky side to form a butterfly. Attach a thin stick for the antennae. That’s it !

[box title=”How to make a dragonfly” color=”#D2691E”]

• Small sticks
• Propeller Seeds
• Glue
• Cello Tape

[/box]

The sticks make the body of the dragon-fly. Attach the propeller seeds onto the stick with glue and/or tape to give the dragonfly its wings.

[box title=”How to make a Bee & a Beetle” color=”#D2691E”]

• Propeller Seeds
• Play-doh
• Googly eyes
• Toothpick

[/box]

Make a Play-doh shape for the body of the bee and place the propeller seeds to replicate the wings of the bees. Break the toothpicks into fourths and attach them to the playdoh for legs. Fix the eyes and you have a bee !

Insects are definitely underrated. They are not “yucky or nasty”. They are very hard-working creatures. Without them our world will never be the same.

We spoke about how they recycle waste, pollinate plants and support the entire cycle of life.

After the big lecture, Big S comments – ” Oh boy , I’m happy that I’m just a kid “

[box title=”Learning de jour” color=”#980b0b”]

• Words :   Insects, Germination, Seeds, Insectarium, Pollination
• Learning Sizes:   Choosing sets of seeds from a pile to use in the project.
• Fine motor skills:   Molding, sticking, cutting and crafting
• Creative Thinking:   Propeller Seeds to Insects – This is Creative thinking at its best !

[/box]

It was a fun day and whats better we had a lot more seeds left to throw them around and make them into helicopters and twisters and tornadoes !

 Thanks for reading

Happy Sharing

Please take a moment to comment

Linking up with Angelique Felix at Children Loving animals