Decorate garden with bugs that don’t bite!

Here’s a playful way to bring decorative summer fun to your garden with bugs that don’t bite! It’s an after-lunch activity, because these giant bugs are created using your recycled plastic plates!

First, set out and do some exploring in the yard or even under your picnic table, and challenge the kids to look for bugs in all shapes and sizes. Keep an eye on insects flying by, too. Decide which one is your favorite, and then make your own giant-sized version with a few art supplies and those rinsed-off plastic plates.

Here’s how:

On the middle of a large and sturdy disposable plastic plate, draw an outline of the shape of your chosen bug or insect, such as a ladybug, worm, butterfly or bee. Use a black permanent paint pen or marker. To help guide you and your child with the design, use clip art or coloring books for a pattern, if you wish. Cut it out with scissors.

Paint the bug or insect using acrylic paints in squeeze bottles and small brushes. If you use a colored plate, you won’t have to paint it all. For example, if you make a ladybug, use a red plate and add spots and a few other details using a black marker.

While the garden decorations dry, go on a stick safari and look for sturdy 18-to-24-inch-long sticks. Use strong electrical tape to attach one end of the stick to the critter. Poke the other end into the ground where your child would like his or her bug or insect to “live.”

Extra tip: If you’d like to create simple backyard pests to decorate stationery or postcards, apply lipstick or poster paint to your child’s thumb. Make a thumbprint on the paper or postcard. Use a marker to add antennae, legs and eyes. Name the pest and then write a letter to a friend or relative. Address it together, add a stamp and send it via “snail” mail.