Finger-perching dragonfly — bamboo body bent at the head with heat, two wings on each side, the upper pair slightly longer, joined with glue; the tip of the mouth can perch on a finger.

"Use the tip of a dragonfly's mouthparts to perch on fingers or other objects, which trains the dragonfly's balance." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Center, author not specified, CC BY 4.0)

Select bamboo from high mountains that has little starch, such as Hia bamboo, and carve it into shape. Divide it into the body and wings, carve the head to proper proportions, and carve the body extending to the tail. Use heat to bend the head into a curve to hook the fingers, and bend the tail into a graceful curve.

Bamboo sticks shaped like dragonfly wings, two wings on each side, with the upper wing slightly longer than the lower wing.

Drill holes in the body, insert the wings into the body, apply glue to secure them, then paint the body and wings to decorate.

Real photos of a dragonfly perched on a finger, both unpainted and painted (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not specified, CC BY 4.0)

Use the dragonfly's tail tip to perch on your finger or other objects, and practice the dragonfly's balance.

This toy trains children to be observant and to be careful of heat while bending bamboo. Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Thai folk tools and implements database, "Dragonfly on the finger" (author not specified) (licensed CC BY 4.0). **Limitations** The source does not give dimensions, and does not specify the heat source or tools. The materials listed are bamboo, paint, and glue or wet flour paste. There is no product list for common paints.