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Art Activities
*Egg Carton Caterpillars:
Materials: paint, paint brushes, glue, construction paper, pipe
cleaners, cotton balls, and egg cartons
Methods: First, cut the egg cartons into sections of three.
Next, glue the egg carton to a sheet of construction paper
Then paint the egg carton. Allow the carton to dry. Next, glue some
cotton balls to the top of the carton. Place two pipe cleaners into the
front of the egg carton.
Draw on eyes and a face. You now have a caterpillar
*Tissue Butterflies
Materials: tissue paper (cut into strips 1 inch by 4 inches) of assorted
colors, butterfly pattern (included), glue, scissors
Methods: First, have the children cut out their butterfly pattern. Next,
give the children several scraps of tissue paper along with glue. Have
the children then ball up the tissue paper as tight as they can. Glue
the wadded paper onto the butterfly pattern. Make sure that the children
do not place the same color next to one another. Also make sure this
covers every part of the paper. Now you have a butterfly.
*Butterfly Mobiles
Using butterfly patterns, have the children color the insects. Next,
have the children punch holes in their pictures. Tie string to them and
then hang them at various lengths from a hanger or even a stick.
*Paint a Pot
I have recently gotten into this. It is a cheap and easy craft to get
into. Buy a small terra cotta pot and paint it with your favorite
design. In the case of this story, my class painted caterpillars and
butterflies on their pots. They then planted a flower in it and gave it
to their Mom for Mother's Day. Be sure to seal the pot with spray
sealer.
*Finger Print
Butterflies
For this project you will need paint (whatever color you want for your
butterfly), black markers, white paper, and lots of paper towels.
First you place your index finger into the paint. You then firmly
stamp it onto the white paper, You then repeat the process forming
what appears to be an X pattern. You then draw the body on with black
marker. Have fun!
*Paint a Rock
Another cheap and easy art activity. Find 5 or 6 rocks about the same
size for each child. You can have them bring them in. Paint each one a
different color to provide for the caterpillar segments. Don't forget to
paint a face on one of them. They really are cute. Be sure to use
acrylic paint and seal them as well.
*Caterpillar Finger Prints:
Have the children place their fingers into ink. Press them onto a
piece of white paper firmly. Decorate the paper so it looks like an
outdoor scene.
*Butterfly Memo-Clips: Using
food coloring, dye a coffee filter. Allow to dry then fold it in
half. Hot glue it to the clothespin so that it forms wings.
Hot glue some wiggle eyes and then a piece of pipe cleaner (antenna) to
it. You now have a beautiful butterfly.
Math Ideas
*Bar Graphs- This book lends itself to graphing very
easily. First of all, you can graph how many children like the
caterpillar versus the butterfly better. That is an easy 2 bar graph.
You can also graph the children's favorite foods or even favorite day of
the week.
*Measurement - To teach the children measurement such as inches or
centimeters, have them measure some plastic insects. If you are unable
to get some plastic insects, you can always make some insect patterns
and have the children measure those. It is a fun way to teach measuring
things by using something all children are interested in which is bugs.
*Multiplication - Use the plastic bugs to teach the students
multiplication. In addition to the bugs, you will also need paper plates
or cups. To begin, introduce a sample multiplication problem. 4 X 2 = ?.
Tell the students that 4 X 2 is another way of saying 4 GROUPS of 2 BUGS
in each group. You then take 4 plates and place 2 plastic bugs on each
plate. Have one of the students then combine all the plates together and
add up the bugs. They will see that 4 GROUPS with 2 BUGS in each group
gives them a SUM of 8 bugs. By introducing multiplication this way, you
are demonstrating to the children how to apply a math skill to solve the
problem rather than use rote memory. Do several examples like this. Then
allow the children to solve the problems. You can also use plastic
butterflies only or plastic caterpillars only.
*Addition/Subtraction
Easy, use bugs! Also discuss how much food the caterpillar ate.
*It's all about symmetry: Have the students color their own
butterfly, making sure that each wing is symmetrical to the other.
Science Ideas
*Butterfly Life Cycle: Have the students draw and
describe the lifecycle of the butterfly.
*Life Cycle Productions: Have the children make up a
filmstrip describing the life cycle of the butterfly.
Language Arts
Ideas
*Teach the days of the weeks
*Caterpillar Brochure: Have the students create a
caterpillar getaway brochure designed to attract caterpillars based on
what they read.
*Re-tell The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Have the
students re-tell the story using felt board shapes. Allow them to
videotape themselves. It did not take me long at all to make the
felt board shapes to go with the story.
*MIX ‘EM UP CHIPS Create a sheet with boxes on them approximately 1/2
an inch in size. Write several key words found in the story onto the
sheet. Be sure to write 1 letter per box. Then, have the children cut
out the tiles. They are to them place them in some recycled and cleaned Pringles
cans. They are to then unscramble the letters to form various
bug words. If the have a difficult time, you may include a word list to
assist them. Here are some sample words:
cocoon caterpillar butterfly cake cup cake lollipop Monday Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday One Two Three Four Five salami
pickle strawberry blueberry etc.......
*Caterpillar Bingo: Create your own bug bingo by using several of the
words listed above. You may also wish to use pictures for the smaller
children.
*Spelling Puzzles: Have the children complete several
of the spelling puzzles using words from the story. Here is a list of
the words: egg, leaf, eat, apple, strawberry, pickle, cake, salami,
lollipop, stomach, hungry, blueberry, pie, cheese, cupcake, watermelon,
pear, cocoon, caterpillar, butterfly. To create your puzzles,
click on the following link Puzzlemaker
and input the words above.
*Interview with the Very Hungry Caterpillar: Have one
child pretend he or she is the butterfly. Have the other child
pretend he or she is a news reporter. Here are some sample
questions:
1. So Butterfly, why were you so hungry?
2. What exactly did you eat?
3. Why did you have a stomach ache? What made it
better?
4. What is your favorite food and why?
5. How did it feel being in the cocoon?
6. Did you have any idea how beautiful you would
become?
7. What are your plans now?
*Daily Bug Times: Have the students make up a
newspaper headline and article about the story. You can allow them
to use Microsoft Word to create the newspaper.
*Caterpillar Flip Book: Create a flip book describing
the very hungry caterpillar and the changes he goes through in the
story.
*Rhyming Madness: Make up a sheet of blank
butterflies. Then create a sheet with a big bug jar on it.
Using the blank butterflies, draw a picture and write the corresponding
word on it. (mug, tug, hug, Meg, leg, rug, bug, jug, peg, chug,
beg, dug, egg) Xerox the jar and then write Bug at the top of one
and Egg at the top of the other. Have the students then cut out
the butterflies with words and paste them to the jar that the word
rhymes with.
*The Letter B and D Sound: Give the children 2
blank jar patterns. Also give them small blank butterfly patterns
as well. Then have them draw and write as many words that begin
with B and D on each butterfly. Have them then cut out the
butterflies and glue them to the jars. (One jar is for B and the other
jar is for D).
*The Very Hungry Caterpillar Picture Completion: Have
the children draw a picture to go with a phrase from the story.
You can turn this into a make a big book activity. Here are some
sample phrases:
On Saturday, he ate through a bunch of junk food.
He ate through one leaf on Sunday.
He built a cocoon around himself.
He nibbled his way out of the cocoon.
He was a beautiful butterfly.
He flew away.
In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a
leaf.
On Monday, he ate through one apple.
On Tuesday, he ate through two pears.
One Wednesday, he ate through three blueberries.
On Thursday, he ate through four strawberries.
On Friday, he ate through five oranges.
*The Very Hungry Caterpillar Q & A: Have the
children answer the questions about the story. Be sure they use
complete sentences and details from the story. Here are some
sample questions:
What did the caterpillar eat that would be considered healthy?
What did the caterpillar eat that would be considered
unhealthy?
What did the caterpillar eat that made it feel better?
What did the caterpillar become?
Draw a picture of the caterpillar before and after it
changes.
*Cut and Paste Story Sequencing: Have the children
read the following events from the story, cut them out and then paste
them in the correct order. Here is a list of events:
On Saturday, he ate through a bunch of junk food.
He ate through one leaf on Sunday.
He built a cocoon around himself.
He nibbled his way out of the cocoon.
He was a beautiful butterfly.
He flew away.
In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a
leaf.
On Monday, he ate through one apple.
On Tuesday, he ate through two pears.
One Wednesday, he ate through three blueberries.
On Thursday, he ate through four strawberries.
On Friday, he ate through five oranges.
Recipes
CATERPILLAR SURPRISE APHIDS ON A LOG (substitute
sunflower seeds) Slice stalks of celery, and spread peanut butter in the
groove. Add some raisins onto the celery and tada, you have caterpillar
surprise. Use sunflower seeds for aphids.
ANT TREATS Use cinnamon twists (glazed donut-like
pastries formed into the number eight) as the insect body. Stick
bendable plastic straws in the sides (three on each side) to be the
legs, and they should look like giant ants. Use 'donut holes' for ant
eggs
BUTTERFLY SNACKS Use pretzels as butterfly wing frames, and stick them
together with softened caramel candy or peanut butter. Sprinkle
chocolate chips on top.
"DIRT" CAKE 1 20-oz. pkg. chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
1/2 stick margarine 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar 3-1/2
c. milk 2 pkg. instant chocolate pudding 1 12-oz. tub whipped topping
1/4 c. mini marshmallows (beetle grubs) 1 plastic flower pot 1 plastic
flower plastic ants/beetles gummy worms Cream margarine, sugar, cream
cheese. In another bowl mix milk and pudding. Let sit until thick. Stir
in cool whip, mix with cream cheese mixture. Make sure pot holes are
plugged. Put 1/3 of cookie crumbs in bottom of pot. Add 1/2 of cream
cheese mixture. Repeat cookie crumbs and cream cheese mixture, adding
some gummy worms and the mini marshmallows. Add extra crumbs on top (to
look like dirt). Refrigerate over night. Add flower(s), bugs, and the
rest of the worms on top. Use a trowel to serve. Variations: Chocolate
Pudding Crushed Oreo Cookies 1 chocolate cake Gummy Worms Confectionery
sugar Marshmallows 1 Flower pot 1 Plastic Flower First, bake the cake.
It doesn’t need to be any specific shape since you will be tearing it
up. Next, place a layer of crumpled cake at the bottom of the pot. Throw
in some marshmallows, worms, and sprinkle some confectionery sugar.
Next, put a layer of pudding into the pot. Gently stir in some more
marshmallows, worms, and cookie crumbs. Continue alternating layers.
Once you are 3/4 from the top, be sure your last layer is pudding.
Sprinkle Oreo cookie crumbs on the top so that it looks like dirt. Have
a worm or two poking their heads out. Put the flower in the pot and
refrigerate. Enjoy!
*Fudge
Ingredients:4 tbsp cocoa
1 box (16 oz.) 10-X sugar
4 tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) margarine
Gummy Worms
Mix the cocoa and sugar together well until they are of a single
consistency.
In a double boiler melt the butter and peanut butter together.
Pour the melted mix into the bowl with the sugar/cocoa mix in it.
Mix well using a wooden spoon.
Grease a 9 x 9 pan (or one of similar size). Place the fudge mixture
into the
pan and pat down until evenly distributed. Place gummy worms on top of
the fudge. Some will sink but that is okay.
Cut the fudge as desired (this is important to do before you go to the
next
step because it is not easy to cut after this point.)
Place the fudge into the fridge until it is firm.
When you are going to eat the fudge get it out for a bit and let it warm
up to
room temperature. Enjoy!
*Butterfly Cookies: Using sugar cookie dough, cut out
butterflies and bake them. Have the children then ice and decorate
the cookies. Enjoy! |
