Caterpillar Clothespin Activity
Caterpillars transform from small caterpillars to beautiful butterflies. Before this metamorphosis, the caterpillar eats leaves. Leaves are the most plentiful part of the plant and caterpillars eat a lot of them. They eat their body weight in leaves each day for 1-2 weeks before forming a chrysalis.
This activity is a great way for kids to model and understand these facts about caterpillars. These caterpillars can be made in advance or made with your child. You can also make many and use in a center in a classroom.
I recommend using a hot glue gun to assemble these caterpillars. You can of course use Elmer's glue, however it will take much longer for the glue to dry.
After selecting the color of the caterpillar, use a hot glue gun to attach the pom poms to the clothespin. I used 4 pom poms, but you may need more depending on the size of the pom poms you have available.
I used 2 shades of pink to make a colorful caterpillar.
Next, cut a small piece of pipe cleaner to use for the antennae. You can also glue tiny pom poms to the top of the antennae. After you have made the antennae, glue them to the first pom pom. After, you can add small goggley eyes to the first pom pom as well.
Make the face with pipe cleaners, pom poms and googley eyes.
Now the fun begins! Print a paper leaf on colored cardstock. Have your child cut out the leaf to make food for their caterpillar to eat. Give your child the caterpillar clothespin to your child. They can attach it to the paper leaf.
Now provide your child with a hole puncher. Your child can model the caterpillar eating, by punching holes in the leaf. As they punch, they can move the caterpillar clothespin around the leaf. Using the hold puncher is a great fine motor activity for children.
Use a hole puncher to have the caterpillar eat the leaf.
Kim
