Malaeng Po Ko Niu (Balancing Dragonfly) — a Shaved Bamboo Body with the Head Bent by Heat, Two Wings per Side with the Upper Ones Slightly Longer, Fitted and Glued; Balances on a Fingertip

"Perch the tip of the dragonfly's mouth on a finger or other objects; this trains the dragonfly's balance." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not named, CC BY 4.0)

Choose bamboo from high mountains, which has little starch, such as pai hia. Shave it to shape, split into the body and the wings. Shave the head in proportion and the body long down to the tail. Bend the head with heat into a curve that perches on a finger, and bend the tail into a neat curve.

Shave bamboo into dragonfly wings, two on each side, with the upper wings slightly longer than the lower.

Drill holes in the body, fit the wings into the body and glue them to last, then paint the body and wings to decorate them.

Photos of real balancing dragonflies, unpainted and painted (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not named, CC BY 4.0)

Perch the tip of the dragonfly's mouth on a finger or another object, to train its balance.

This toy trains children to observe. Take care with the heat when bending the bamboo. Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Traditional Objects of Everyday Use database, "แมลงปอเกาะนิ้ว", author not named (CC BY 4.0 licence). **Limits** The source gives no sizes and names no heat source or tools. The materials it names are bamboo, paint, and glue or flour paste; there is no product line for general paint.