Celebrate cicada season with this clever summer bug craft that uses recycled supplies to make a clip-on cicada craft, encouraging creative interactive play and outdoor learning.
They’re baaaa-aaaack…! Across the United States this week, the Brood X cicadas are beginning to emerge! Here in Minnesota, we won’t see this particular species, but back in my old state of Ohio, they’re expecting a total invasion.
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, I made our own set of bug-eyed clip-on clothespin cicadas – a perfect kids’ craft substitute for those who might find the real things a little too creepy and crawly to observe up close.
Our clothespin variety may not make their own relaxing summery noises, but they DO mimic another trait I’ve noticed in my many summers of cicada observation… these little guys grab on to anything and everything!
My last couple of summers in Ohio were years that produced annual cicada populations that were larger than the norm. They’d fall out of trees, pop out of bushes, cling onto the window screens, and by the middle of their season, we’d find their empty cicada shells hanging EVERYWHERE.
PRESS PLAY TO SEE OUR CLOTHESPIN CICADA CRAFT IN ACTION…
We’ve had an embarrassing amount of fun this week moving our cicadas around to different parts of the house for surprise insect sightings. Some of us appreciate the clip-on feature much more than others…!
There are a billion ways to make this cicada craft look exactly like the kind YOU see where you are, so read through the entire tutorial for some simple ideas to help you create your very own cicada brood!
For more adventures in recycled insect crafting, turn old crayons into a beautiful flutter of melted crayon butterflies! You could also create a DIY bug observation box to house your cicadas, or use a cardboard box and recycled plastic to build a play pet tank and artful cicada habitat!
For your own DIY clothespin cicada, you’ll need:
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- A plastic spoon
- A clothespin
- A cereal box side, scrap cardboard, heavy cardstock, or watercolor paper
- Scissors (I love this kind for cutting plastic and cardboard!)
- Acrylic or tempera paint and a paintbrush
- Two small pieces of tissue paper
- A pipe cleaner
- A glue gun or craft glue
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- Our free printable cicada wing templates
- Colorful paper scraps for extra wing decoration
- A toothbrush for speckle painting
DIY Clothespin Cicada Craft Instructions:
Embrace cicada season with this cicada craft for kids! Perfect for classroom art activities or a fun summer craft at home.
Gather your cicada craft supplies.
Gather up all the basic materials. You’ll need a plastic spoon, a couple of small pieces of tissue paper, 1 pipe cleaner cut in half, a clothespin, a scrap piece of paper (optional), and wings.
You can print our free template, or just free-cut simple wing shapes like ours out of a cereal box, scrap cardboard, watercolor paper, or heavy cardstock.
There are many ways you can make substitutions or omit certain pieces if you don’t have the particular supplies we used – for instance, you can use beads, pieces of a painted cereal box, or anything small and round for the eyes.
The pipe cleaner legs aren’t necessary if you don’t have one handy, and you can print the full-color version of our wings onto watercolor paper or heavy cardstock if you’d rather not deal with paint.
Paint your clothespin (optional).
We prepped by painting our clothespin black so it would blend in with the spoon and look like part of the body if seen from the bottom or side, but most of the clothespin is covered, so you can skip this step if you’d like to speed up the process!
Cut off the handle of your plastic spoon.
Carefully cut off the handle of your spoon (adults may need to help with this step). Save the bowl-shaped end (this will create the head of our cicada!). Roll your pieces of tissue paper into two tight, round balls – these will be our cicada’s eyes.
Note: If cutting the plastic spoon created sharp edges, you can run a small piece of sandpaper or a nail file around the edges of the spoon to smooth them.
Paint your cicada’s wings.
We used a toothbrush loaded with a bit of colorful paint to create our multi-colored speckled wings. Dip into the water, load with a bright paint color, then drag your finger across the top for cool flecks of color! We used layers of yellow, green, black, and white to speckle our wings.
You can use the same technique we did or create your own patterns or designs on the wings. Different species of cicadas all have unique patterns and colors on their wings, so do a little research to observe which patterns you’d like to recreate (or make up your own!)
Note: You can skip this step by printing the free printable full-color wing templates.
Glue the pipe cleaner legs to your clothespin.
Twist the two halves of your pipe cleaner together into an X-shape then use a dot of glue to glue it into the groove of your clothespin. Bend the pipe cleaner to create little leg shapes.
Glue the spoon cicada head to your clothespin.
Use a hot glue gun or craft glue to glue the cut piece of your spoon to the end of the clothespin as pictured.
Use two small dots of glue to glue on the tissue paper eyes.
Add decoration to your wings (optional) and gently bend to curve.
We wanted our cicadas to look like the 17-year species that are emerging right now, so we added some extra paper decoration to our wings to create similar color patterns. This is an optional step, but I love the little touch it adds!
Gently bend the cereal box wings along the center lengthwise to form slightly curved wings.
Glue the wings onto your cicada.
Glue the wings onto your cicada craft, as pictured above. Let dry completely, then clip to ANYTHING!
Can you even stand it?! This year’s adult Brood X cicadas will only live for a few weeks, but you can keep our clothespin version around long after the hum of their summer song has ended.
Resources for Kids Cicada Learning and Play Activities
Learn about Different Cicada Species
If this inspires your little ones to learn more about this historical 17-year event, pop by this extremely informative article about Brood X cicadas from Scientific American (life cycle illustrations and everything!).
Use sound clips of cicada calls. Kids can learn to differentiate between species based on their unique sounds.
Play a Cicada Game
Download a free printable cicada bingo card from Cicada Mania, or test your knowledge with this online cicada trivia.
Follow Cicada Life Cycles
Follow the emergence of cicadas with the Cicada Safari smartphone map app, use a cicada life cycle free printable, or watch a video of one cicada’s life. Plan outdoor trips during the cicada season, letting kids observe cicadas in their natural habitat. Make it more interesting by creating a ‘Cicada spotting’ checklist.
Make More Cicada Crafts!
How cool are these giant paper bag cicada sculptures? If you’ve collected cicada shells, try turning them into colorful art pieces! Or make a set of origami cicadas.
Find more Kids Cicada Activities
Grab some cicada-themed kids’ activity ideas from National Geographic.
Videos and documentaries about cicadas can visually illustrate the insect’s life and habits, creating a more immersive learning experience.
Illustrated storybooks featuring cicadas as characters can help teach children about these insects in a fun, engaging way.
More Summer Nature Crafts and Activities for Kids
For more nature-themed spring or summer crafts and activities, turn a shoebox into a cool DIY nature explorer’s kit for on-the-go outdoor investigation, or download a free printable nature scavenger hunt. We’ve also collected 50 of our favorite insect learning and play activities here!
*A note about affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Blick Art Materials, Amazon, Etsy, or Woodpeckers Crafts. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click through to make a purchase we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
