We’re all impressed by insect aerobatics and now you can make your own flying insect model. Here’s how to make a model glider: choose from butterfly or dragonfly, or maybe make both!
What you will need
- thin card
- scissors
- glue stick or paper glue
- colouring pens or pencils
- plasticine or blu-tak
- a print-out of this insect glider template:
How to make your glider
- First download and print out the insect template sheet. If you can print onto card, you can skip step 2. If you don’t have a printer you could trace the outline of one of the insects from the screen.
- Choose an insect picture and stick it onto a piece of thin card. The type that cereal boxes are made out of will work well.
- Colour in your insect. You could make it look like a real species of butterfly or dragonfly, or you could let your imagination run wild!
- Cut round the outline of your insect.
- Cut out the grip from the paper template. This is the bit you hold when you throw your glider. Fold it and stick it to the underside of your insect as shown.
- Lastly, you will need to weight your insect so it flies properly. If you’re making the dragonfly, put a blob of plascicine or blu-tak at the front. For the butterfly, it will fly better if you put a blob at the front tip of each wing. You might need to experiment a bit to find out how much weight you need to add for the best flight.
Your insect glider should now be ready to go! Have fun flying it. You might want to see how far it can go, how long it can stay in the air, or which of the two models flies best. We’d love to hear how you get on and see your insect designs. You can get in touch using the Contact Us page.
If you enjoyed this make, why not try out some of the others on the Make & Do page?
Crunchy on the outside 
Nice
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