How to Make Butterfly Pupa's for a Kids Project

Some caterpillars stay inside their pupas for two years.

Teach children about a butterfly's metamorphosis or life cycle by making a pupa project for kids. The four stages of a butterfly's life cycle are egg, caterpillar, pupa and then adult butterfly. The pupa is also known as the chrysalis or cocoon, inside which the caterpillar transforms into an adult. To study this biological science, craft a pupa for a kid's project with polymer clay, which is a vinyl-based modeling clay that hardens in a conventional oven.

Things You'll Need

• Brown polymer clay
• Plastic knife
• Baking sheet

Instructions

1. 

   Polymer clay comes in a multitude of colors.

   Roll a handful of brown polymer clay into a 2-inch wide ball. Polymer clay is well suited for small projects, 3 inches or smaller. Bigger projects do not cure, or harden, well in the oven.

2. Rub the ball back and forth with both your palms to form a cylinder shape, roughly 3 inches long. The basic shape of a pupa is cylindrical.

3. Pinch one end of the clay cylinder slightly for the top of the pupa. Pull the bottom of the pupa and squeeze it into a point.

4. 

   A pupa is an organic, or irregular curving, shape.

   Flatten the bottom point with your two palms. Smooth the pupa all over with your fingers. Carve horizontal ridges all along the top one-third of the pupa using a plastic knife.

5. Bake your pupa on a baking sheet at 275 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow it to cool completely before handling.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with different colors of polymer clay for your project.

• The clay does not need to be hardened for this project.

• There is not wrong shape for the pupa as long as it is cylindrical. Pupas come in many curving shapes. Let your children shape it how they see fit.

• Polymer clay can be painted before or after it is hardened in the oven.

• Always use oven mitts when handling hot trays and use caution when working with the hot oven around young children.

References

• The Academy of Natural Sciences: Four Stages of Butterfly Metamorphosis