Experiencing Life Differently - Camping (lightning bugs)

Yesterday we started Junior's next school unit and it is on Camping/Summer. We did a quick introduction of everything and talked about the many things we do during the summer and also about camping. He painted part of the "pond" we are making and made a fish to go in it(one of many which he will make).

Today during our session we will be making lightning bugs. I made one last night so I could have everything ready today. I had thought of the idea a while back but had no idea if it would really work. They actually turned out cute and I think Junior will get a kick out of making some more and hanging them over his tent.

For making these we used: ping pong balls, a string of battery operated lcd(they don't get hot) Christmas lights, electrical tape, scissors, googly eyes, black paper, white paper, double sided tape or glue, and a black marker.
Ahead of time I put a small hole in the back of each ping pong ball. You want the hole large enough for one of the Christmas lights to fit into it. I also cut out several pairs of wings. I just kind of guessed at the size and kept trying them until one looked right. Be sure to leave a little extra length on each wing so you can fold over enough to glue/tape to the side of the ball. I also cut some tiny strips of black paper to use as antenna.
To start I put some double sided tape one the front of the ball and added two googly eyes. Then I drew on a mouth with a black marker(you will want to use a permanent marker). I then added a small piece of double sided tape on each side and added wings. More double sided tape slightly above the eyes to attach the antenna. I like using the double sided tape because we don't have to wait for anything dry before moving to the next step.
I then slid a light into the hole in the back of the ball and used a strip of electrical tape to secure it. Thats it, now you have your very own lightning bug. I do wish I had gotten lights that blink so we could get the real lightning bug effect.
I will add a few pics to this post after todays session when I make these with Junior.