Bug Keepers

Cut all around the bottle, just below the handle or neck. Save the top for another project. From the base cut out four windows one on each side. Put the bottle inside the stocking. Cut off the foot and top of the stocking, leaving about 15cm(6 inches) both above and below the bottle. Gather the stocking at the bottom to one side and fasten it securely with rubber band. When a bug has been collected and put inside the bottle for viewing, fasten the top with another band. Make sure the top is tightly secured. Remember insects should be kept only briefly and should always be released after viewing.


Draw a letter of the alphabet. In a different color, create a picture of the bug using the letter as a base. Example- S is for spider. complete two circles by closing in the s, add 8 legs and eyes.

Coffee Filter Butterflies

Paint a wooden clothespin black. Then bend a black pipe cleaner to make antennae and hot glue this to the rounded end of the clothespin. Separate coffee filters and lightly spray them with water so they lay flat but aren't drenched. Now blob watercolor paints on the wet coffee filter. The colors should spread and fill out the space. When the coffee filter is dry, gather it up in the center, trying to keep the edges flat, and slide it between the prongs of the clothespin. You may need to glue the bottom of the wings to the clothespin so it doesn't come out. Spread the wings and you're done! Add a magnet strip to the other side of the clothespin and hang it on the refrigerator.

Worm Critter

Twist two different colored jumbo pipe cleaners together to make a body. Bend it into a coil shape. Glue a pompom to the top of the coil for a head. Glue two wiggle eyes to the head and a small pink pompom for a nose. Cut and attach two 2" pieces of pipe cleaner to the top of the head for antennae.

Bright And Beautiful Butterflies

Draw butterfly wing shapes on each piece of colored construction, making your wings as big or as small as you like. Decorate each wing by drawing a squiggle line with the glue and then sprinkling glitter on top of the glue. Be as creative as you like! Set aside the wings and allow them to dry completely. Once the wings have dried, glue one wing onto one popsicle stick. Leave about one inch of the popsicle stick uncovered from the wing. Let dry completely.
Glue roll-y eyes or buttons or draw "eyes" on the styrofoam ball. Allow them to dry completely. Holding the pen or pencil in one hand, wrap one pipe cleaner around the pen or pencil, leaving one inch at the bottom uncoiled. Repeat with one more pipe cleaner. Insert pipe cleaner "antennae" above eyes in styrofoam ball. Cut remaining three pipe cleaners in equal halves. Insert pipe cleaner "legs" in two rows of three to the underside of styrofoam ball, bending approximately one inch of the end pipe cleaner so as to create "feet." Stick the uncovered ends of the popsicle sticks into the back of the styrofoam ball as to create your bright, beautiful butterflies wings!

Bug Swatter Neckerchief Slide

Use brightly colored needlepoint plastic mesh cut to resemble a fly swatter. Hot glue a craft stick to the plastic mesh so 1/4th of the stick is behind the mesh. Hot glue a large plastic bug to the top of the plastic. Add a loop made from pipe cleaner or PVC pipe to serve as the slide loop.

Silly Bugs

Collect an assortment of plastic foam packing peanuts, with some markers, pipe cleaner, wiggly eyes and other miscellaneous items. Allow the boys to create their own bugs using the materials provided. Have them give their bug a unique species name and tell about its habits, energy source, and lifestyle.

Creeping Crawler

Cut a piece of paper 1" by 5" and draw a face near one end. Pull the paper over the table edge to make it curly. With your tongue, slightly wet the paper end by the bug's face. Put him on a table and blow on his tail. Have a Creepy Crawler race.

Bug Neckerchief Slide

Clean the loose material out of walnut shell halves. Paint the shell a color to resemble a bug or beetle. Cut a pipe cleaner in half, form it into a loop and hot glue it to the underside of a shell so that half the loop sticks out of the shell. Apply wiggly eyes and or pipe cleaners as antennae.

Wormy Experiment

Try this experiment to show your den how worms work. Put four to five inches of rich soil in a large glass jar with about 6 earthworms. On top of the soil, put an inch of light sand. Sprinkle corn meal on the sand. Wrap black paper around the jar to shut out light. At your next den meeting, take off the paper and see what has happened. The worms will have moved dark soil up into the sand and sand down into the soil. You will see tunnels along the glass marking their travels. Explain that the worms' tunnels bring oxygen and nitrogen to nurture life and that the tunnels help the soil hold water.

Web (Printing) Painting

Take a walk in the woods with a can of non-white spray paint and a piece of white paper. Find a spider web. Webs are usually found between branches of bushes or between two growing things, such as weeds or garden flowers. Hold the can of spray paint at arm's length away from the web. Spray quickly with a back and forth motion. Be sure the wind is blowing away from you when you spray paint so you won't breathe in any paint. Cover the web with a thin coating of paint. The paint will look like tiny beads on the fine strands. Quickly place a piece of paper on the web. It is better if you curve the paper first in the center of the web and straighten it out very carefully along the sides. Let the web dry on the paper. Your finished print will contain some of the web.

Fluffy Birds

Glue two popsicle sticks together to form a cross. Glue real or paper feathers onto the cross leaving the top for a head. Glue paper head on top or use markers to make eyes and a beak.

Zany Zebras

Give each child a construction paper picture of a zebra with no stripes, mane, or tail. Use a fine brush or Q-tip and have them make stripes with black tempera paint. When the paint dries, glue strips of fluorescent paper on neck and tail. Have the kids fringe the tail.


Supplies: 1 1/2-inch orange pom pom and 3 3/4-inch orange pom poms. Glue a plastic ring to the back of large pompom. Glue on ears and muzzle as shown. Use black felt scraps for stripes, and a small black bead or a felt dot for nose. You can make whiskers by sewing black embroidery thread through muzzle.

Circus Elephant

Supplies: 1 1/2-inch pom pom, 2 1-inch pom poms, 3 3/4-inch pom poms, felt, pull ring, and wiggle eyes. Glue a large metal pull ring to the bottom of 1 1/2-inch pom pom, and 1-inch pompom underneath for feet. Glue 3/4-inch pom poms together to form trunk. Then attach trunk to elephant's face. Ears are matching color felt, with inner ears a contrasting color. Add two wiggle eyes. A circus elephant can be any color you want.

Exotic Parrots

Use colored cereal in the shape of rings glued to a piece of construction paper to create a beautiful exotic parrot. Provide small feather, wiggly eyes and colored noodles to add dimension and flair.

Build a Zoo

Use clean empty plastic strawberry containers of different sizes. Find an appropriate sized zoo animal and place it inside. Fill the insides with twigs for fallen branches, pipecleaners for trees, and construction paper water ponds. Line them up side by side for display at a pack meeting.

Animal Cracker Art

Let the Cubs select some animal crackers and then think of a jungle scene to put them into. Then give each Cub a sheet of light blue construction paper and let them create a jungle scene using crayons, markers, yarn, buttons, etc. After each Cub has completed his scene, just glue the animal crackers to their picture.

Build a Nest

Tear up lots of newspaper into small strips and pieces. Give each Cub a paper bowl. Use a mixture of glue and water to glue the paper strips together in the shape of a nest that will fit inside the bowl. The bowl should not be part of the nest. It's only used to help define the size and shape of the nest. When the nest is dry, line it with Easter grass. Then have each Cub create their own exotic, colorful parrot to perch inside the nest.