Kids Crafts ....... Pebble Bugs

Introduction

A simple activity to paint pebbles to look like bugs e.g. caterpillars, ladybirds. 

These are great to dot about your garden especially in the rockery!

You will need

• Pebbles/stones of various shapes and sizes
• Acrylic paint (various colours)
• Paint brushes
• Clear varnish

Instructions

• Choose several pebbles (5 or 6 should do) try to get some that get gradually smaller
  
• Paint all the pebbles with your background colour (we chose green)
• On the largest pebble paint eyes, mouth and feelers to make the head
  
• On the rest of the body pebbles decorate by painting colourful patterns (we chose red stripes and gold spots)
  
• When the paint is dry varnish all the pebbles (several coats of varnish will protect your pebbles for longer especially if you intend to use them as decoration outside.)
• Arrange your pebbles in your garden or around the top of a plant pot. (start with the head pebble and then place each one in turn finishing with the smallest pebble)
  

• Choose a large rounded pebble.
  
• Paint the whole pebble red, allow to dry
  
• On the underside paint a black tummy and six small legs, allow to dry
  
• On the top paint a black head, a black line running along the back to separate the two wings and paint black spots on the wings.
  
• When the black paint is dry use orange or gold to paint on eyes and a mouth.
  
• When all the paint is dry varnish the whole pebble  (several coats of varnish will protect your pebbles for longer especially if you intend to use them as decoration outside.)

Other ideas

• We painted a flat pebble to make a butterfly
• Paint a pebble back and yellow to make a bee, use a pipe cleaner covered in netting to make wings ( you would need a strong glue to stick on pipe cleaners this is best done by an adult)
• You could paint a pebble black and stick on 8 black pipe cleaner legs to make a spider 
• Make multi-coloured beetles
• Try sticking on sequins to make shiny decoration