Make and race a gliding butterfly or moth

Print out our downloadable template and colour it in. You can choose a butterfly or a moth - or make both and see which glides better!

Carefully cut around the parts on the template. Do not cut along the dotted lines. 

To make your shooter, fold along the dotted lines in the order they are numbered then cover the seam with a piece of tape. The non folded side should remain open.

Turn your butterfly or moth over so the blank side is showing. Place your shooter length ways down the body (the open end should be at the bottom) and secure it using a piece of tape big enough to cover all folded edges but leaving the non-folded edge open.

Insert your straw in to the open end of the shooter. Only push it in about half way. You might need to give it a bit of a wiggle or your butterfly or moth wont fly. 

Take a big breath and BLOW into your straw! Watch it go!

Get a group of friends together and try both templates to see which goes the furthest. Do you think the shape of your glider will make a difference to how far it can fly? Why?

Try folding or bending the tips of the wings slightly, to make a paper aeroplane, or making the butterfly using different types of paper. You could add some weight to different parts using small blobs of blu tac. Does that make it glide better or further?

Can you come up with a design of your own that could beat ours? We challenge you!