This balancing experiment is a nice way to talk about things like symmetry and centers of gravity, no matter how young your child is! They’ll love the beautiful butterfly you make, and absorb just a little science in the process.
First, I folded a piece of white paper in half and traced butterfly wings. Cut out the wings and unfold – you now have a perfectly symmetrical butterfly!
Now place that paper over something sturdier (we recycled a cereal box) and cut out – this part was definitely a grown-up step.
Travis loved decorating his butterfly with dot paints.
Once dry, it was time to see how it flew!
Using a little bit of playdough to anchor it, I inserted a straw. This will be the stand for the butterfly.
Tape a penny to each corner of the butterflies wings for weight.
Now balance it on the straw! You may need to shift a little until you find the center of balance, but once you do, your little butterfly friend will be aloft.
I confess, I think I was more impressed with the final results than Travis was!
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