Beetles are insects, which means that their body is made up of three parts; a head, a thorax and an abdomen.
Antennae are found on the head, and six legs attach to the thorax in the middle. If a beetle has wings for flying, they are usually found protected underneath a hard carapace on the abdomen.
Beetles come in many different shapes and sizes. Discover more in our Basking Beetles post to help you decide on a species to create.
Let’s build a beetle using the components below:
- Print or trace the beetle template found on this page.
- Cut along the black lines, leaving the glue tabs attached.
- Arrange your beetle into its 3 part body-plan.
- Decorate your 3 beetle body sections.
- Put glue onto the tabs and overlap to create 3-D body parts.
- Now glue your body parts together! You can create a rounder ladybird or leaf beetle, or a long soldier beetle, depending on how you overlap your pieces.
- Lastly, use items from around your house or garden to create antennae and legs.
Share your creations with us to be featured in our community gallery. Ask a grown-up to help you to tag us in your picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Museum of Zoology Blog 