I am sure that these would go over.....but do you have the time? I used a medium paintbrush, squeeze bottles and lots of colored icing. They are easier than they look.

How about breadsticks with colorful fruit leather wings?

Butterfly sandwiches: have the bakery slice a sandwich loaf lengthwise and remove crusts and make pinwheel sandwiches (roll as you would a jelly roll and but to slice, slice 1 slice about 3/4 deep and then the next slice all the way through, fold the two slices apart, and shape wings; lay a carrot or celery stick in the center for the butterfly body; you could also recycle the crust here and use it as the body). fillings can be peanut butter(if school allows nuts)&jelly; egg or tuna salad; cheese spread. butterflies can be garnished with raisins, olives, etc.

you could also use a butterfly cookie cutter and do rice krispie cake with cookie candy sprinkles; or if you can find a small enough cookie cutter, you could use fruit leather.

PRETZEL BUTTERFLIES
(source: The Secret Life of Food - by Clare Crespo)

8 caramel candies (the square - Kraft - caramels - the ones you melt for caramel apples)
16 (small) knot-shaped pretzels
16 (small) pretzel sticks

1. Unwrap the caramels and roll each into a ball shape, using your hands.

2. Stick one knot-shaped pretzel into each side of the caramel for the wings .

3. Stick two pretzel sticks in the front of the caramel for the antennae.

Makes 8 butterflies.

[Grainlady note: Make a whole swarm of butterflies by using other kinds of pretzels (yogurt-dipped, different sizes) and a variety of wing positions. You can also dip the knot-shaped pretzels in white chocolate and decorate them with an assortment of sprinkles (I'd suggest dipping only one side of the pretzel).

-Grainlady

You could also consider caterpiller recipes:

Caterpillar Biscuit Snack Recipe (I know this is not that healthy as written but it may give you some ideas)
INGREDIENTS:
 Refrigerator Biscuits
 Sesame Seeds
 Poppy Seeds
 Grated Cheese
 Pretzel Sticks
 Raisins
 Butter or Margarine (melted)
PREPARATION:
Prepare small bowls of sesame seeds, poppy seeds and grated cheese. use two biscuits and form four small dough balls. Dip the dough balls into the melted butter and then roll them in seeds or cheese. Press the balls together on a cookie sheet to form a caterpillar shape.
Bake the biscuits according to the directions on the package.
When the caterpillar biscuits are done, you can poke 2 pretzel sticks into the head of the biscuit caterpillar for antennae. You can use the raisins for eyes.

Cracker Caterpiller:
Shred 1 leaf of lettuce, spread cream cheese on 4 Ritz crackers. Layer the crackers slightly on top of each other to form the body of the caterpillar, the crackers were placed on top of the lettuce. Use 2 raisins for eyes and 6-8 chow mien noodles for legs.

Here's a variation on ants on a log.

Fill a three inch length of celery stalk with cheese spread, peanut butter or cream cheese. Press 2 pretzel knots (one on each side) into the filling forming the wings, and add 2 chow mein (or pretzel sticks) into filling in front for the antennae.

When my kids were little I got some great ideas from the book Incredible KidEdibles by Beth Brigham.

Have fun!!
Oly

Stacie, if you want something simple and easy, I believe Pepperidge Farm has butterfly crackers.You could make a simple pimento cheese spread or any other cream cheese spead and make butterfly sandwiches.

Lookie here! I haven't gone to the links but this search turned up what looks like a lot of ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Butterfly snack ideas.

Butterfly Shrimp. Let them learn early what " good " is.
Lou
LOL

LOL, Lou, I agree with you.

How about little mini muffins, cut a "cone" out of the top and fill with a cream cheese filling, either sweet or savory. Cut the "cone" in half and use as wings, add a couple of pretzel sticks for antenna if you like.

Annie