Make tissue paper stained glass in any shape you like, but the natural symmetry of a butterfly is helpful for problem solving and mathematics. Children exploring their positioning schema can really get behind the challenge of creating wings that mirror each other perfectly. And there’s plenty to learn in terms of colour, size, language, using scissors and of course, sticking and gluing!
To make a tissue-paper stained-glass butterfly:
- An old plastic bag
- Sticky tape
- PVA glue/runny white glue
- A bowl
- tissue paper in two or three favourite colours
- A paintbrush
To make:
- Cut a butterfly shape from your plastic bag and stick it to your table so it’s secure.
- Rip or cut up your tissue paper into small squares or oblongs
- Mix the glue in a bowl with some water to make a slightly thinner mixture
- Paint a layer of glue over the plastic butterfly shape
- Position your cut up tissue paper on your butterfly, overlapping edges so there aren’t any gaps
- paint over the tissue paper with the glue mixture.This will give your coloured paper a nice shiny finish.
- Leave to dry overnight
- When dry, peel off the plastic bag and draw an outline of the butterfly. You could also try cutting out the frame from black paper and sticking it on
- Stick your design to a window and enjoy your creation
