A Rock is a Rock is a Ladybug

Easy to make Ladybug Rock

Some days are just meant to be difficult. Screaming kids, barking dogs, and no milk in the fridge. Yes, today was one of those days. But there was a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Several months before, I had seen a cute crafty ladybug rock in a magazine and thought, ‘even I could totally pull that off  my kids could easily do that with a tolerable amount of mess. I’m not the most crafty person on the earth…at all. With three kids 5 and under, keeping any project organized would be a miracle. So off to the craft store I went.



We purchased:
6 foam 1 inch black sponge brushes (this is for three children) ~ $0.35 each
1 red and 1 black, tube of outdoor acrylic paints ~ $0.99 each
1 white tube of outdoor acrylic paint ~ $0.99 (Optional – You can use googly eyes or white paint for the ladybug’s eyes)
3 painters trays (you could easily use paper plates or margarine lids) – $0.99 each
1 set of 3 smaller precision/detail brushes ~ $4.95
1 bag of googly eyes ~ $1.19 (optional)
1 bag of black pipe cleaners ~ $0.99 (optional)

You will also need:
Newspaper to put on the ground or table (If your kids are anything like mine, do this outside or in the garage!)
Several large and small flat, slightly oblong river rocks
A craft hot glue gun with glue sticks (optional)

Directions:
First, dress yourself and your child(ren) in clothing that you don't mind getting 'artsy'.  Then, lay out as much newspaper as will cover the table or ground near your child. Then, take a reasonable amount of red acrylic outdoor paint and place it on the painters tray. Have your child take the foam brush and cover the entire rock with red paint. They might need to paint the top first and let it dry before painting the bottom, if you wish to cover the entire rock. You may want to have them paint several as it will take a little while for the paint to dry. If the paint is not as thick as you'd like, repaint in red.

When the red paint has dried, put some black acrylic paint on a clean part of the painter’s tray and give your child a clean foam brush. Have your child paint about one-third of the ‘front’ end of the rock to make the ladybug’s head on each of the rocks. Then, you or your child can use the smaller precision brushes to paint black dots on the ladybug’s back and draw a lengthwise line to form the wings. Let dry completely.

Next, you have two choices for the eyes.  You could take a precision brush and paint on white eyes or you can prepare the glue gun and googly eyes (these next two parts should be completed by the adult). When the glue is warmed, take a googly eye and place a small amount of glue on the back side. Carefully place two eyes (or more if your kid wants) in the black head portion of the ladybug.

(Optional) Finally, take three of the black pipe cleaners and bend them in the shape of bug legs. You will want to cut them in half if you have smaller rocks. Otherwise, leave them whole. (Adults) Turn the ladybug rock over and place a strip of glue across the bottom of the rock. Take one pipe cleaner and carefully press it (the glue will be hot!) so that it is centered with the ‘legs’ sticking out the sides. Do this again near the center and rear of the ladybug. Turn the rock over and you should see six legs. Shape them as you’d like.

Lots 'O' Ladybugs

Cleanup: The acrylic paint is easily cleaned with soap and water. You should be able to wash off hands, precision brushes and the painters tray for reuse.  If you get any paint on good clothes, check here for removal ideas.  The foam brushes may not was as easily but are very inexpensive to replace. Throw away the newspaper and you are done!

That’s it! You should have a cute ladybug rock for your garden and maybe one for grandma, too! Try them with different colors and styles for next time.  Let me know how your ladybugs turned out!

Happy crafting!

Leslie

The Pioneer Mom