Paint Butterflies
Word of the day: symmetry
“I'm going to paint only half a butterfly, and the paper will paint the other half for me.”
Grab
- paper
- washable paint
- a small mirror (optional)
Do
- Fold paper in half and open it. Blob paint on one side only.
- Fold, press, rub. Open it up. Both sides match.
- Hold a mirror on the middle line of a picture or their face. Does it look whole?
- Find symmetric things: leaves, faces, cars, letters like A and T.
The big moment
Unfold the paper.
Ask (guess first, then try)
- Are the two sides the same?
- Which letters look the same in the mirror?
What's going on (for you)
Something is symmetric when one half is a mirror of the other. Lots of living things are close to symmetric, and so are lots of human designs.
If they want more
Draw half a face on folded paper and let them draw the other half.
Look it up
Wikipedia: Reflection symmetry