Praying Mantis Crafts and Learning Activities

How to Make Praying Mantis Crafts, Learning Activities, and Recommended Children's Books

 

 

 

What you will need:

Cardstock

Markers or Crayons

Tape

Elmer's Tacky Glue

Scissors

 

How to Make the Praying Mantis Craft:

1. Print out the body pattern and feet and wing pattern for the praying mantis. This craft includes step-by-step directions with photos for each step.

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Label a real life, up-close photograph of a praying mantis.

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What you will need:

Two 9-inch Paper Plates

Three 6-inch Paper Plates

Bright Green Pipe Cleaners

Green Bendable Jumbo Straws

Green and Light Green Patio Paint

Low Temp Mini Glue Gun

Black Marker

Green Paper

Head

1. To make the head fold a 6-inch paper plate in half.

2. Cut a slit about 2" long up from the edge of the paper plate toward the center, perpendicular to the fold line (see diagram). Bring the cut edge over so that it overlaps the other side about 1/2" and glue it closed. Crease the opposite side of the plate about one inch to make the nose.

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3. Cut a small hole the size of the pipe cleaner just above the slit.

Neck

4. To make the neck insert three pipe cleaners into a straw so the pipe cleaners stick out both ends. Glue the ends of the straw so the pipe cleaners don't fall out. Insert the long end of the pipe cleaner into the hole from the outside of the paper plate. Glue the the straw up against the center fold of the head paper plate. Glue the pipe cleaner that is sticking out to the other side of the head plate (see diagram).

5. Punch two holes on the center fold line of the head paper plate for the antennae. Fold another pipe cleaner in half and insert the ends of the pipe cleaner in the holes so they come out the front of the paper plate.

6. Fold down the head paper plate and glue it closed matching up the edges on the side so that the middle of the paper plate sticks out a little forming the pointy nose.

Arms

8. To make the praying mantis' arms place two small paper plates together and cut arm shapes about five inches long (see diagram).

9. Cut the ends off of two pipe cleaners so that the long end is only four inches long. Insert two pipe cleaners into each straw and glue them to the straws so they don't fall out. Connect the two arm by winding the pipe cleaners together at the long end of the straw and glue the arms under the head as shown in the picture. Glue the paper plate arm pieces to the short end of the arm straw just below the bend in the straw. Glue the end of the pipe cleaners to the inside of the arm piece (see the diagram above.)

Front Legs

10. To make the two front legs cut the long ends of two straws so they are 4 1/2" inches long. Insert two pipe cleaners into each straw so that 1/4" of the pipe cleaners are sticking out the long ends of the straws. Glue the pipe cleaners to the straws so they don't come out. Cut two, three-inch lengths of straws and insert the ends of the pipe cleaners that are sticking out of the legs into the three-inch straws to make the bottom of the legs. Fold up the pipe cleaners that are sticking out the end to make the feet. If the pipe cleaners aren't long enough, insert more pipe cleaners. Glue the legs inside the body paper plate next to the neck straw.

Back Legs

11. To make the back legs use one straw for each leg. insert two pipe cleaners into each straw so that 1/2" of the pipe cleaners stick out the short end of the straw. Glue the pipe cleaners into the straws so they don't fall out. Glue the pipe cleaners at the short end of the straws to the inside of the folded body about 5" from the front legs. Fold the straws at the bend and then fold up the pipe cleaners that are sticking out the end and wind them around each other.

Wings and Eyes

12. To finish cut wings from another large paper plate and glue them to the neck. Paint the paper plates. Cut eyes from green paper and glue them to the head.

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