C is for Crafts: Frog Fly Catcher with Printable Flies
Happy Spring! It has been so wonderful to watch the days get longer, the sun get warmer and the daffodils start to bloom. I can even see the beginning sprouts of my peonies. Hooray! When we moved in to our new house last summer, we had a whole new yard and neighborhood to explore. One of the most surprising things was the number of frogs and toads we saw. They appeared in all different sizes and colors – in the gardens, on the windows, even in our deck box. I wonder how long it will take for us to see them again this year? Anyway, all of this talk about frogs brings me to the craft project that I want to share with you today. Ava brought one of these adorable frog fly catcher crafts home from preschool this spring and I can’t wait to share it with you. I even made you some FREE printable flies! Here we go:
Supplies
Cardboard paper towel tube
Scissors
Green acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Red or pink yarn – 16″ to 18″ in length
Stapler
Googly eyes or eye stickers
Craft glue or glue stick
Paper flies – download your free printable flies HERE
Step One – Cut
Carefully cut your paper towel tube in half using your scissors. You should have two pieces of tube approximately 6 inches in length each.
Step Two – Paint
Using your green paint, cover the entire outside of the tube with paint. I prefer to use a small foam brush or a good sized craft paint brush for this kind of project. Using your fingers or a cotton swab, you can add some texture to the paint if you prefer. Use your imagination.
Step Three – Assemble the Frog
Pull a piece of yarn all the way through the tube leaving about 3/4 of an inch of yarn sticking out the end you plan to staple closed. This yarn tail will wrap around the back of your frog fly catcher just a bit. Using your stapler, staple this end of the tube closed, using approximately three staples across. Make sure to catch the yarn in one of your staples to secure it. Next, you will be attaching the fly to the other end of the yarn. Cut out a pair of flies. Sandwich the yarn between the two flies so that the fly image appears on each side. Staple together at the top and bottom being sure to catch the yarn in your staples as well. The only thing left to do is attach the eyes on the top of the frog. You’re done!
Step Four – Play
See how many tries it takes your frog to catch the fly. By gently holding on to the frog, flip the fly up in the air and try to catch it in the frog’s mouth. It is trickier than it looks, but is sure to bring some fun and laughter to your day. We are also really into the book and the song “Five Green and Speckled Frogs” in our house right now. Use your fly catcher frogs to act out the song for some extra silly fun. Let me know how your project turns out and how you use your frogs. Good luck!
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