Science Activities About the Caterpillar

Children are amazed, when looking around, to discover science everywhere. It is in the air they breathe, the water they drink and in the creatures outside. Teaching a science unit around caterpillars is a creative way to open the eyes of children to the wonder of science.

Books

There are many books available for teachers to read to children about caterpillars. This is an excellent way to introduce the subject to the class. Here is a sampling of a few of them: "From Caterpillar to Butterfly Big Book" (Let's-Read-and-Find... Science 1) by Deborah Heiligman and Bari Weissman, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle, and "Caterpillars, Bugs & Butterflies" by Mel Boring. Many more are available in a library or book stores. After reading one of the stories to the children, talk with them about how children and caterpillars both change as they grow. Discuss the changes that a caterpillar goes through and then ask the children how they think they are going to change in the next year.

Caterpillar Diet

It is fun to decide what the Very Hungry Caterpillar might eat - like apples.

Begin by reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle to the class. Then discuss with the class if they think that caterpillars actually eat all the things listed. The children then can create a picture of some of the foods that were listed in the book and label them "Fact" or "Fun." After they are finished, the students can use the pictures they drew to talk about why they think some of the things in the book were added and why they think caterpillars would not eat these things. Then talk about the things that the caterpillars do eat.

Information Gathering

This is an interesting activity to discover what the children know about caterpillars and what they would like to learn. The teacher would create a chart with columns labeled "Know" and "What They Would Like to Learn." At this point ask the class what they already know about caterpillars and write these ideas under the first column. Then ask them to think of what they would like to learn and write these ideas under the second column. At this point in the class, show the students some of the books that are in the classroom about caterpillars. In small groups, have the students read these books and discover if they can find the answers to some of the questions in the second column. Discuss their discoveries after they are finished. If there are still questions, show the students where they might find the answers. At this time, add a third column to the chart and label it "What We Learned." Under this column, ask the kids what they learned that they didn't know before.

Butterfly Kits

Butterfly kits come with caterpillars and a box with five windows on it to observe them. After receiving the kit, talk with the students about the caterpillars that have come with the kit and how to take care of the caterpillars. Encourage the children to observe the kit daily and assign one child in the classroom each day to note any changes on a calendar that the teacher will have posted for this reason. The spaces on the calendar should be large enough to place the time of the observation and the changes that have taken place. When the caterpillars have gone through all their changes and turned into butterflies, release them outside, if weather permits.