Lady Bug & Paper Plate Activities

Ladybug Puppets

Create ladybug puppets out of paper plates to use in live performances, or just for fun. Staple the eating side of two paper plates together, leaving an opening at the bottom for a hand. Paint the puppet red and add black spots to resemble a ladybug.

Another way to make a lady bug puppet is to draw or paint a lady bug image on a paper plate and then glue the plate to a brown paper lunch bag. Use black pipe cleaners and antennae and add googly eyes for embellishment, if desired.

Create a simple lady bug mask that can be used to create a costume for Halloween, theatrical performances or just imaginative play. Cut eye holes in a red paper plate. Cut dots and a half circle head out of black construction paper. Cut six legs out of black paper, too. Attach all the pieces to the plate with glue. Add black pipe cleaner antennae and an elastic string to hold the mask in place.

Another way to create a lady bug mask is to cut eye holes in a paper plate and cover the plate with craft foam to create the mask. Make a circle out of red craft foam that is large enough to cover the face. Add black craft foam dots and a half circle head. Add black pipe cleaner antennae to the ladybug. Attach the craft foam bug to the paper plate and use a craft knife to remove the foam from the eye holes. Poke a hole in the sides of the mask and add an elastic string to create a mask.

Use activities to enhance readings about ladybugs. For instance, read the children's book, "The Grouchy Ladybug," by Eric Carle and use a craft to enhance teaching. Create a ladybug clock out of a paper plate to use in conjunction with the book. Cut a half circle out of red construction paper and glue it to the underside of a paper plate to create a head. Add googly or white paper eyes and black pipe cleaner antennae. Make six legs out of black construction paper and add them to the underside of the plate. Add the numbers to the clock face (the eating side of the paper plate) and attach paper arrows with a brad. Color another paper plate red with black spots. Cut it in half and use a brad to attach the two sides to the top of the head of the ladybug clock. Use the brads to open the ladybug's wings to show the clock. Set the times on the clock that are mentioned in the book. Use the clock to review time-telling lessons and terms.

Help children create their own book about ladybugs and life cycles. Give children six paper plates to serve as the four pages of the book and front and back covers. Have children research the life cycle of a ladybug and create pages depicting the four stages of ladybug life: egg, larva, pupa and adult ladybug. Create a decorative cover and staple the plates together to create a book. The Enchanted Learning website has a sample book for download.

Create other ladybug and paper plate activities to enhance learning, to use as decorative crafts or to make just for fun. Make a ladybug windsock. Draw or paint a ladybug image on two paper plates. Tape some red crepe paper streamers to the inside of one of the plates and staple the two plates together to create a windsock.

Another way to use a paper plate in a study on lady bugs is to draw or paint the image of a ladybug onto a plate and add a craft stick to create a stick puppet or mask that can be held up whenever the word "ladybug" is mentioned in reading or in a lesson on the bugs.