Give each child a coffee filter or piece of tissue paper cut into the shape of two attached butterfly wings. Have the children drop watered down paint onto the paper, or color spots and shapes with marker. Because of the light paper, the colors will spread out and mix to resemble butterfly wings. Clip the center of the wings in a wooden clothes peg, or have the children glue them to a toilet paper roll. They can then glue on pipe cleaners for antennae.
Have children paint the back of a paper plate red, let dry, then paint on black spots and a face. They can add black pipe cleaners to the side and head to create legs and antennae. If they want to turn it into a puppet, simply glue a paper plate, top side up, to the bottom and cut an opening at the bottom of the ladybug large enough to fit a hand into. Children can also create a ladybug using one cup of an egg carton and pushing three black pipe cleaners sideways through the cup for legs.
The egg carton ant is a popular craft, which can easily be done by cutting off a row of three egg carton cups, painting them red, black or brown depending on the type of ant, then adding antennae and legs from pipe cleaners. The children can finish it by drawing on a face or gluing on googly eyes. They can also make ants from three painted plastic foam balls, which they can glue together or attach by pushing toothpicks halfway into the center ball, then attaching the front and back ones.
Spider crafts are perfect for Halloween, and for a large one to hang, use a paper plate and have the children paint it black. Cut black construction paper into thin lengths to resemble legs, and fold each leg accordion style. Glue eight legs onto the spider body, and paint or glue other details on the spider, such as spots and a face. This spider can also be created using an egg carton cup painted black. Or use a black balloon (underinflated), twist it so there is one large area and one small one, and tie pipe cleaners around the bottom for legs. Carefully paint on the face using white paint.