Make an Eco-friendly Butterfly in Stop Motion Film
Make an eco friendly butterfly from recycled materials and create a short stop motion film to animate its flight and learn filmmaking basics.
Step-by-step guide to make an eco-friendly butterfly in a stop motion film
Origami Butterfly Made Easy | Step-by-Step Stop Motion Tutorial
Step 1
Lay out all Materials Needed on a clean table so everything is easy to reach.
Step 2
Spread the plain sheet or large paper flat on the table and tape its edges so the background won’t move.
Step 3
Draw two wing shapes and a small body shape on the recycled cardboard or scrap paper.
Step 4
Cut out the wings and the body carefully using scissors with adult supervision.
Step 5
Decorate the wings with colouring materials to make bright eco-friendly patterns.
Step 6
Roll or fold the body piece into a small cylinder and glue it so it keeps its shape.
Step 7
Attach each wing to the body with a small strip of tape along the center to make a hinge for flapping.
Step 8
Tape the straw or wooden skewer to the back of the butterfly body to make a handle for moving it.
Step 9
Press a small lump of clay or playdough onto the table to make a stable base and rest the end of the straw into it.
Step 10
Place your phone or camera on a stable surface and take one test photo to check the scene and lighting.
Step 11
Take a photo of the butterfly in its starting position.
Step 12
Move the butterfly a tiny bit forward or tilt the wings slightly.
Step 13
Repeat Step 11 and Step 12 many times until your butterfly has flown across the scene.
Step 14
Import the photos into a stop motion app or video editor set the frame rate to about 8 to 12 frames per second and save your short film.
Step 15
Share your finished eco-friendly butterfly stop motion film on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a straw or wooden skewer for the handle?
Tape a pencil, chopstick, sturdy twig, or a rolled-up piece of recycled cardboard to the back of the butterfly body in place of the straw or skewer as the handle.
My wings won't flap smoothly — how can we fix the hinge so the flapping in the photos looks natural?
Make the hinge with a narrow strip of masking or fabric tape at the wing center (Step 7) and avoid taping too tightly so the wings can tilt easily between each tiny movement in Steps 11–13.
How can we adapt this activity for different ages?
For ages 3–5 have an adult pre-cut the cardboard wings and hold the phone during Steps 9–13 while the child decorates with crayons, for ages 6–9 let kids cut and make the tape hinge in Step 7 and handle the camera, and for ages 10+ encourage independent editing and frame-rate choices in Step 15 and multi-butterfly choreography.
What are some ways to extend or personalize the stop motion film?
Create a painted or collage background on the taped sheet (Step 2), add extra butterflies from recycled cardboard to animate in staggered movements during Steps 11–13, and include nature sound or titles in your stop motion app during Step 15.
Watch videos on how to make an eco-friendly butterfly in a stop motion film
Life cycle of Butterfly-Stop Motion
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Life cycle of Butterfly-Stop Motion
How to make Stop Motions for Beginners Part 1 (Stop Motion Tutorial)
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Facts about eco-friendly crafts and stop motion filmmaking
♻️ Recycling one ton of paper can save around 17 trees and a lot of energy compared to making new paper.
✂️ Recycled materials like cardboard, bottle caps, fabric scraps, and wire are perfect for lightweight puppet parts and wings.
🦋 Butterflies have taste sensors on their feet and scientists estimate there are about 18,000 species worldwide.
🎞️ Stop-motion animators usually shoot between 12–24 frames per second — a 10-second scene can take 120–240 photos!
📽️ Stop-motion goes way back — early examples like The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1898) are among the first animated toy films.
How do I make an eco-friendly butterfly and turn it into a stop motion film?
What materials do I need to make an eco-friendly butterfly for stop motion?
What ages is making an eco-friendly butterfly stop motion project suitable for?
What are the benefits, safety tips, and variations for an eco-friendly butterfly stop motion?
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