C is for Caterpillar - A Very Hungry One


~Malachi is 4 years, 4 months~


Our focus this past week has been on The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  I combined this lesson with Elli's Tot School and had her focus on butterflies, while Mali focused on caterpillars (among other things) for the letter C.  I usually post the activities together when we do a literature unit, but I thought it would be easier to separate the posts this time. Just too much fun to put in one post! See Eliana's Very Hungry Caterpillar Tot School {and see our AVHC picnic!}.

So, here is what we have been doing for the letter C.

We:

Read the book . . . many times.

The book came with a CD of Eric Carle reading the book, so we also listened to the CD and acted out the story using a caterpillar that I made with pipe cleaners. It was fun poking the caterpillar through the holes as we read the book.



And a Butterfly Life Cycle Video 


Dylan acted out the life cycle with Mali, while I was working with Elli. 

He had Mali:

1. Egg: Curl into a ball and pretend he is an egg.
2. Larva: Squirm like a worm.
3. Pupa: Roll up in a blanket.
4. Butterfly: Pop out and "fly" around the house. 

I thought he did a great job playing with him. :-)

We decided we would eat (some of) what the caterpillar eats, so we went shopping for fruit, chocolate cake, strawberry ice cream, a lollipop, pickles, etc. and planned a picnic.

For math, I asked Mali how many pieces of fruit The Very Hungry Caterpillar ate and we counted:

1 Apple
2 Pears
3 Plums
4 Strawberries
5 Oranges

And had a Very Hungry Caterpillar Fruit Muffin Tin and a butterfly sandwich and a Celery Caterpillar to go along with.



Story Sequencing


I wrote the number of fruit on a piece of paper and Mali glued the fruit down, and then we realized there were more pieces (that is what I get for sticking more than one project together) and he was finally able to put the story together. 

C Caterpillar 


I got the idea for this cute critter from Blissful Moments.


I made two circles with a circle cutter and then cut a corner out to make a C. I trimmed a piece of card stock so that the C would fit. (This helped him form the C too). Then Mali arranged them, glued them down and added googly eyes.

Caterpillar Name



This is a project that I saw at No Time For Flashcards and it fit nicely with our theme.

TVHC Game


The caterpillar goes around the board and you feed it as it goes.  You spin and count the number of foods to add up to the number designated on the board.  Just too cute and perfect for his age.

Caterpillar Sequencing


From the Very Hungry Caterpillar Tot Book, see link below.

My First Science Kit - Color Lab

I won a My First Science Kit Color Lab from My Four Monkeys and it came just in time for the letter C!

Mali is watching the bubbles fizz as the color tablet dissolves. Then he mixed the colors with his eyes and made a test tube kaleidoscope.


He had fun squirting colors with a pipette and then did a color mixing lab making all sorts of colors.


Then he made soft water crystals to keep the colors he made. He added water-soaking crystals to absorb the liquid. It said to add one or two, but he added several.  It made some fun looking crystals. 


He added them to a bag and called it a color bag. I transferred it to a bottle because the bag was leaking.  The crystals lost their color all mixed together and grew.  It looked like a bottle of ice water.  It was a fun experience for Mali. 

I also picked up a Dover Little Activity Book called Create Your Own Dream Car (see widget below), and Mali made one super car. 

To conclude our lesson, we had a Letter C Muffin Tin

Some of the books and activities we used this week:




6 comments

  1. This is such a creative, fun and "can't wait to do this when "Cc" comes around again" post!! Y'all were so busy and productive. Way to go!!

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  2. What a wonderful learning experence you are gifting to your children! They are so enriched and blessed that you are their teacher! Lizzy

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  3. Wow - so much fun with one book! I love the pipe cleaner caterpillar idea with the book - why didn't I think of that?! And that color activity looks like fun.

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  4. My kids love the crystals too! I love the way you structured your theme around the letter C:) Thanks for sharing all the great ideas!

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  5. love your C caterpillars! :) looks like a really great week!

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  6. Hi Michelle,

    I just want you to know that I am a big fan of your blog. I love how organized it is and how everything is so easy to find. It is a great resource. Also, you have some of the best BFIAR ideas that I can find. :)

    I also wanted to let you know that I am starting a brand new Alphabet Craft collaboration called The Ultimate Alphabet Craft Collection. You have so many great alphabet craft ideas already posted on your blog. I would love it if you wanted to link some of them up. (This letter C idea is SO creative.)

    Your fan,
    Cathy @ The Attached Mama

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