Home Play Provision Ideas – Week 12 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Physical Development

Gathering flowers

The Very Hungry

Caterpillar’s tummy is

rumbling. Can you help the

caterpillar by creating some

tasty flower pots full of

yummy wild flowers and plants for it

to eat?

You will need an old

cardboard box. A

sharp pencil and a

black felt tipped pen.

You will need to ask a

grown up to help you

cut a rectangular panel out of your

box, then using your black pen draw

your very own flower pot stopping half way up the piece of

cardboard. You may need help from a grown-up again to

punch lots of little holes in your cardboard above your

flowerpot with your sharp pencil (be careful) for the wild

flowers you find. Next you will need to go on a lovely

nature walk finding flowers and plants and carefully thread

the stems through your little holes in your card (remember

Role Play

Fruit and vegetable shop

Can you create your own fruit

and vegetable shop?

You could even add your own

price labels and play the role of

shopkeeper and customer with

other members from your

household.

Maybe you could chop up some of the fruit and vegetables

and try tasting some?

Which foods do you like the best?

only pick flowers or plants your grown-ups say are safe!)

Understanding the World

Life cycle of a butterfly

Have a little go at ordering the life cycle of a butterfly.

There are some templates attached to use or you can have a

go at drawing your own.

Expressive Arts and Design

Caterpillar hand craft

Have fun and create your very own

hungry caterpillar!

All you need is:

• Some plain paper

• Some yellow, red, green and brown

poster paint.

• Paintbrushes and a lollypop stick (or you can

just use your fingers)

A ‘how to’ guide is attached.

Can you follow the

instructions to create your

handcrafted caterpillar?

Butterfly symmetry painting

Have you ever stood really still and

watched a butterfly flutter by? If you have

been lucky to see one up close did you

notice the colourful patterns and shapes on

each of the wings? Can you see from this photo that the

butterfly’s wings are exactly the same on each side?

The word we use for this is

‘symmetrical’. Can you say that word out

loud?

Why don’t you have a go at making your

own symmetrical butterfly just like what

‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ changed

into!

All you need is some plain white

paper (you could ask a grown up

to cut it into a shape of a butterfly)

Some colourful paint

Some paint brushes

Once you have everything in place, fold your butterfly in

half and paint your own beautiful patterns onto one of the

wings. Once you are happy with your

wing, you will need to fold it across to the

other side so the paint presses firmly down

onto the plain wing. Then very carefully

unfold the paper to reveal your beautiful symmetrical

butterfly just like you see at the end of the story.

Small World Play

Cocoon house

Using an old toilet roll with just a little square cut out of

one side (like in this picture)

make your own warm and

toasty cocoon for a

caterpillar to sleep in.

You can decorate the outside

by gluing on real leaves or

ones you have created

yourself.

What natural materials might you put

inside the cocoon house to keep the

caterpillar warm? Cotton wool, tissue,

grass or leaves?

What other items might you find to go inside the

caterpillar’s little home? Maybe a tasty flower for it to eat

or an empty snail shell filled with a little water to have a

drink?

Do you have any play insects or another favourite character

that you can move into the little home you built?

Have fun and enjoy playing with your small world

creation!

Fruit and vegetable printing

As ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’

enjoys eating lots of fruit and

vegetables, why don’t you have fun

and have a go at doing some fruit and

vegetable printing?

All you will need is 2-3 pieces of different fruit and

vegetables

Plain paper

Colourful paint

Paper plates or trays to pour some paint into

Then with help from a grown-up cut your food items in half

and then use these to dip into the paint to make some lovely

fruit and vegetable prints on your paper.