I Love Bugs!

What You Need:

• Black pipe cleaner
• Red and pink paper
• Fuzzy craft balls (white, pink, red, or black)
• Glue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Writing utensil

What You Do:

1. Have your child cut out a large heart shape for the wings of his bug. The heart should be no bigger than your hand. This would be a good time for him to write, "Happy Valentine's Day" or some other affectionate message on the wings.
2. Invite your child to glue the fuzzy ball to the point of the heart. Cut two small hearts and a half-circle from the paper to be used as eyes and a mouth. Glue them to the fuzzy ball.
3. Ask him to cut at least three pieces from the black pipe cleaner, each approximately 6 inches long. Bend each piece in half at the mid-point of the pipe cleaner, and tape each mid-point to the center of the heart. These will be the bug's legs.
4. Your child can now bend the pipe cleaner to form legs that will stand up. Mold each pipe cleaner into a half-circle shape, and add a small bend at the bottom for the feet. Encourage him to play with the formation of the legs to find a design that he likes.
5. This project takes patience! After your child glues the fuzzy ball to the heart, as well as the eyes and mouth to the fuzzy ball, he must wait for the glue to dry properly. If he is anxious to keep working, consider having him make more than one bug at once, so he can begin construction on a second one as the first bug is drying.