Hands On Crafts for Kids - Bumble Bee Mobile

by Julie McGuffee

Bumble Bee Mobile Take a buzz through the garden with a honey bee mobile. Did you know that bees can fly 22 miles per hour and their wings beat 180 beats per second? You'll really need to be "buzzing" to keep up with them. Bees unwittingly carry pollen on their back legs from flower to flower so that the plant can produce seeds for the next crop.
You will need:

4 Styrofoam 2" eggs
3" Styrofoam egg
24 Yellow 6mm chenille stems
18 Black 6mm chenille stems
Wiggle eyes
Black craft wire
Jute
16 large wood teardrops
2 Small wood rectangles
White acrylic paint
Paint brush
Glue
Nylon thread
18 gauge Wire stem
Wire snips

Instructions:

Ear Pattern

Wrap each 2" styrofoam egg with yellow chenille stems. Starting at the widest part of the egg, push one end of a stem into the styrofoam then wrap the chenille between the yellow for stripes. To cover each end, form black chennile stem into a circle. Bend the ends outward then attach one circle to each end of the egg by pushing the ends into the body. Secure with glue.
Cut one chenille stem into 6 pieces. Push ends into the body then bend to make legs.
Paint the wood teardrops white. Let dry then push the pointed ends of four teardrops into each bee. To make antennae, cut 6" piece of craft wire. Fold in half then twist together. Curl each end around a paintbrush handle. Fold in half then push head. Glue wiggle eyes in place.
Unbend four paperclips. Push one into the top of each bee for a hanger.
Unbend a paperclip then push into the pointed end of the large styrofoam egg. Tie end of jute to the clip. Cover part of the egg with glue, then wrap the egg completely with jute keeping strands close together. Paint the rectangles white. Let dry then write "HOME SWEET HOME" on one side with the black marker.
To assemble, cut the wire stem in half then tie the two pieces together at the center to make a cross. Curl each end to make a hook. Tie invisible thread to each bee then tie the opposite ends to the ends of the wire. Tie the beehive to the center of the crossed wires. Glue the rectangles together on either side of the thread with the lettering to the outside.

Darice® Chenille Stems, Wiggle Eyes, Craft Wire, Jute, Wood Teardrops and Rectangles, Wire Stem; Delta Ceramcoat® Acrylic Paint; Dow Styrofoam® Brand Plastic Foam; Elmer's® School Glue; Fiskars® Softouch® Craft Snips; Eagle® Paint Brush.