This Halloween, the bats are really in the belfry!

This automaton is made with a few common items but takes quite a bit of patience to put together.  Here’s a summary of how the craft lab assembled this fun toy.

12 gauge floral wire is used in step 5 but a wire hanger could work too.  In step 6, poke holes on the side of the box before positioning the wire.  To get the bats to stay upright, you’ll need to accordion fold (step 9) a couple of thin strips of card stock and then tape one end to the back of the bat. In the last few steps, twist the paperclips around the wire like this:

Then tape the other end of the bat’s accordion strip to a tree.  You can now turn the crank and watch the bats flying at the belfry.

Have a Happy Halloween everyone!