Elementary Craft: A Bottle Bug (Ladybug or Aphid)

God’s love does many good works in our lives, much like ladybugs do good works for the garden. Help kids create these bottle bugs (ladybugs and aphids) with this fun children’s craft.

You’ll need:

• a one-liter or 24-ounce clear plastic soft drink
  bottle for each child;
• assorted marbles (six per child);
• large, red, permanent markers;
• fine-tipped, black, permanent markers;
• glue;
• assorted pompoms;
• google eyes;
• an ice pick (for adult use only); and
• copper wire.

Elementary Craft: A Bottle Bug (Ladybug or Aphid)

Before class, cut the bottoms off the bottles at the base of the label, approximately 21/2 inches from the bottom of the bottle.

Have kids color the inside of the bottle bottom with a red permanent marker and then add large black spots to the outside using a fine-tipped black marker to represent a ladybug’s markings. Kids can create the ladybug’s face by gluing on googly eyes and a pompom nose and drawing a mouth.

Have an adult poke six holes 2 inches apart around the outside edge of the bottle bottom to attach the legs. Then poke two holes 1 inch apart above the ladybug’s face to attach antennae. Cut seven 8-inch lengths of copper wire per child for legs and antennae.

Help kids wrap one end of each wire around a marble until the marble is secure. Insert the other end of the wire into a hole on the bottle bottom and twist it around the remaining length of wire to secure it. Repeat this process for each leg. Help kids insert the seventh piece of wire into one hole above the face and weave it out the other hole. Bend or curl the wire to create antennae.

To make an aphid, use the same procedure as for the ladybug, but use a green plastic soda bottle—then no coloring is needed.

RoseAnne Sather
Greeley, Colorado

Looking for more craft ideas? Check out these posts!