Ladybug Rock Pendants

Ah, at last, the long awaited ladybug craft!  Sure hope you think it was worth the wait :)

So who doesn't love a rock painted like a cute little ladybug?  (rhetorical.  No need to respond).

To make one, just find a smooth-ish, oval-ish rock, and paint it.  You could go with the traditional ladybug red, but ladybugs come in all different colors, including black and yellow.

After your background color is dry, use a black paint pen or black paint with an applicator top, to add a head, a center dividing line, and spots--use red if your bug is black.  As you're adding the spots, keep in mind that ladybug spots are symmetrical.

Next, add a couple of googly eyes, or paint on eyes, if you prefer.

Cute, yes?

The Camp Scarlet kids took it a step further and turned theirs into pendants. 

To do so, use fairly small rocks, and glue a bale (or pendant base--we found a package of 3 for about $3 in the jewelry making section of a craft store--use your 40% off coupon) to the back of your painted rock. When it's dry, just string it up. We used yarn, but you could certainly use cord and add a clasp (which you can also find at the craft store).

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We found these books helpful in our study of ladybugs:

The Life Cycle of a Ladybug by Ruth Thomson

This is a great book for explaining the ladybug lifecycle, with clear pictures and easy to understand text.  In fact, we read this book over and over with each new insect to remind the kids that the insect lifecycle is the same for every kind of insect.  I highly recommend this book.

Crawl Ladybug, Crawl! by Dana Meachen Rau

This is a very easy to read book with one picture plus a simple sentence stating a fact about ladybugs per page--great for kids who are learning to read.

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

I just love Eric Carle books, don't you?  In this cute book, a grouchy, dissatisfied ladybug learns to be grateful for what he has.