Make a Reading Aid with Pipe Cleaners

🎂 6 + years ⏱️ 15 min 📍 Anywhere ⭐ easy

Have you ever been reading a book and suddenly found yourself on the wrong line? Frustrating, right? There's a trick for that: you can create your own reading aid. Not just any aid, but a little fluffy butterfly that fits perfectly on your finger. With wings to marvel at and an antenna that shows you where you're reading. Just like a real reading buddy. All you need are a few pipe cleaners and your hands. And a willingness to try. Because this butterfly will not only be pretty, it will also help you read. And do you know what the best part is? You can design it yourself. In your favorite colors. And when you finally put your butterfly on your finger and fly through your book with its antenna, you'll know: you did it all by yourself!

What you'll need

3 pipe cleaners
A pair of scissors
A book

How it works

Take two pipe cleaners. Twist them together a bit in the middle.
Place your index finger on top. Bend the ends up on both sides and loosely wrap them into a ring. The ring should fit well but be easy to remove.
Pull the ring off your finger. Now you have four ends sticking out. Twist each end into a wing. Shape the four wings nicely. You can twist them a bit or press them round.
Bend one pipe cleaner into a V shape. Push one open end through the ring from the bottom. The other stays on top. Twist both ends together above the butterfly to create the body.
Now we just need the antennae! You can leave one short and roll it a bit. For the other, test: how long should it be to help you read well? Shape it to fit.
Now you have your own reading aid, and your butterfly shows you the right way! Maybe you have other ideas? You can also come up with new reading aids using pipe cleaners. Just try out what you like!