Salt Dough Butterflies
When my daughter has a playdate with her friends, she and they are not content to just “play” instead they like to craft and they do a lot of crafting in a couple of hours that they play. All winter they made paper snowflakes which must have decorated our house for weeks and weeks before it got too warm and I removed them all claiming that like real snowflakes they too had melted away. Well on the last play date she requested something fun to make with her friend that she could take away as a gift to remember their time together. What a lovely kind thought so with that in mind and to ensure that they had enough time to actually achieve a real craft during the day I made some Salt Dough Butterflies which could be hung up and had them dried so that the girls could decorate them after school.
Related Article – Rainbow Fish Ornaments
Materials Needed for this Butterfly Craft
Classic Salt Dough if you have time or our Quick and Easy Salt Dough
Rolling Pin
Butterfly Cookie Cutter
Straw
Acrylic Paints
Ribbons
How to make the Friendship Butterflies
- Start by making your salt dough – this time I used the classic salt dough recipe.
- Roll out the dough.
- Cut out Butterflies with your cookie cutter.
- With a straw poke out holes in the top of the butterfly wings, this will allow you to hang the butterflies up.
- Dry the salt dough according to the instructions whether you have chosen the classic or easy method.
- Leave them to cool.
- Using acrylic paints decorate the butterflies
- Leave to dry and then hang ribbon so they could be placed on a spring tree if you wished.
Both my daughter and her friend were very into the fact that the butterflies wings had to be symmetrical. A little maths with the art and crafts never hurt and it was great to see that they were connecting abstract concepts with nature.
Kindness Elves
I really believe that part of the reason that this was suggested as a play date activity by my daughter is that she and I have been reading Kindness Elves by Anna Ranson the founder of The Imagination Tree and Kindness Elves. This lovely picture book based on this cute elves tells their story and helps spread the friendship message.
When T and I read the book, she loved the story and how being kind isn’t just something you do once a year it’s something that you can do throughout the year and small measures, as well as large, will affect people. Her mission now is to make sure that when the friends come around they leave with a little kindness gift that will remind them of the time that they spent together…. I guess that means that we will have a lot more crafts coming up as I’m apparently the ideas woman.
I am an affiliate of The Kindness Elves – buying through my link will not cost you any more but I will earn a small commission for anything brought
If you would like to purchase the Kindness Elves book to read with your child and help spread the message then it is available exclusively from The Kindness Elves Store. If you are giving it as a gift then why not accompany it with a set of Kindness Elves and sign up the parent of the child you are gifting it to receive the emails so that they can join in with the challenges especially (our favourite) the Kindness Elves Christmas Activities a time when in my experience children especially need to be reminded about giving to others and kindness to all.
Supplies for your Butterfly Craft to make with Friends.
To make it easier for you to be prepared – here is the supply list for making these butterflies with kids. I have linked through to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com including for the kitchen ingredients in case you are running short.
Plain or All Purpose Flour – Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
Table Salt – Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
Butterfly Cookie Cutter – Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
Reusable Straw – Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
Acrylic Paints ~ Normal Colours – Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com ~ and ~ Pearl Colours (we used these) – Amazon.com
More Butterfly Crafts for Kids
Pin this Play Date Craft to Make Next Time
Share this craft and book with others on Facebook
