Alex's Spring Butterfly Garden

Alex loves butterflies.  Since Christmas he has been asking for "a butterfly with wings that work and fly".  Phew, that's a mouth full!  We explained that it is too cold out for butterflies, but we can possibly talk to the Easter Bunny about it come spring.  Well, here is spring, and we're preparing for when the caterpillars make cocoons then break out of them when they turn into butterflies.  (Another mouth full!)

Since the weather is nicer and we've started to enjoy the park and walks, we thought it fit to make a springtime butterfly garden.  It was a fun project that didn't take too many things or too much time.  I spent $2 at the local Dollar Tree and less than a buck at Walmart.  Here's some pics:

First we added stickers (Go Toy Story III) and pompoms.
The pompoms we dipped in Elmers glue then put on top of foam flower tops that I bought at Dollar Tree.

Next we used a paintbrush to apply glue to the flowers in the places he wanted the chunky glitter to adhere.
He then asked me to write family names on each flower to glitter.
Now it's our Family Butterfly Garden!

While Alex decorated the flowers, I cut two 3/16" dowel rods into random lengths, filed the rough edges and painted them green using a foam brush and some acrylic paints we had at home.  Using a hot glue gun, I glued felt leaves and the flower heads to the dowel rods.  We had a small, clear plastic container that we filled with brown crinkled basket shred (dollar store!) to resemble dirt.  Alex and I arranged the flowers in the basket, made a foam butterfly decoration for the front and wah-la!  Instant spring flower garden.  And it only took about 45 minutes for the whole project!

Here is Alex with his finished product.

If you're interested in making your own garden, I've put the supply list below.

Thanks for reading!

Spring "Butterfly" Garden supply list

• Foam flowers
• Decoration (we used stickers, glitter, and pompoms... use whatever you have on hand!)
• Felt leaves
• 3/16" dowel rods, cut and rough edges sanded to choice sizes
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• a container/flower pot with either basket fill OR the foam for flower arrangements (preferred, I just didn't have any on hand)
• Decoration for your flower pot (i.e., our "butterfly" - which me made out of foam flowers, felt, two googly eyes and pipe cleaners)