Send a Monarch to Mexico!

Monarch Butterfly With Transparent Wings

Artist: Mary Jo Blanchard, Deephaven School, Minnetonka, Minnesota

Materials:

• Butterfly Pattern
• Black construction paper
• Exacto Knife
• Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Paint Brush
• Colored tissue paper (orange, yellow, white)
• Wax Paper

Instructions:

1. Click here to view, then print and make copies. (This pattern is designed to fill a standard letter sheet of paper. If you find the pattern prints too small or too large, it may require adjusting the print size either before printing or at the copy machine)
   Place a copy of the butterfly pattern on top of a piece of black construction paper. (Or, draw your own butterfly on the construction paper.)

2. Using an exacto knife, cut out the area between the veins on the monarch's wings. (Students under grade 5 should not use an exacto knife.) Be sure to put a thick magazine underneath your work. This may take 30-45 minutes.

3. Cut around the outside margins of the butterfly with scissors.

4. Cut small pieces of orange, yellow and white tissue paper. The pieces should be about 2" x 2" in size. (You may want to tear around the edges next, so they are not too straight.) To save time, you can cut several layers of tissue at once (up to about 6 layers).

5. Place the monarch on wax paper. Make sure your surface is flat. Next place the colored tissue pieces on top of the wings. To make the butterfly strong, you may put 2-3 layers of tissue on top of the wings.

6. Mix mod podge with water. Your mixture should be 1/2 water and 1/2 mod podge. Carefully brush mod podge on top of the tissue. The tissue should become very wet.

7. Allow the butterfly to dry over night. The next day, carefully pull the wax paper off the butterfly.

8. Attach a message of friendship and conservation to your butterfly so it can serve as an ambassador of goodwill. Please print CLEARLY, or print your message on a computer, so it's easy to read. Be sure to include your name and address.

Suggestions:

• You may want to include these things in your message:
  • The distance your butterfly will travel to Mexico City (in km and miles).
  • Your e-mail address.
  • Your latitude and longitude.
  • Your location (school, science museum, nature center, etc.)
• For extra writing space:
  • Make a 2-layered butterfly and write your message inside the wings.
  • Make a tiny envelope and glue it under the butterfly's wing. Insert a letter inside.
• For fun:
  • "Tag" your butterfly the way a real monarch is tagged. (A self-adhesive label would work well.)
  • Write your message in Spanish.

© Journey North 1997