What can one say about The Very Hungry Caterpillar? I will never find the words to do justice to this quintessential children’s book, but I can show you some of the ways we used it.
The little caterpillar in this timeless tale hatches one evening on a leaf. Very hungry, he sets off eating new fruits for the better part of a week before eating a feast on Saturday. The following day, with an upset stomach, he eats a leaf and spins a cocoon, emerging the following day as a beautiful butterfly. The simple, yet beautiful illustrations, draw in adults and children alike.
During my years as a teacher, I collected story retelling kits to use with popular children’s stories. I pulled the pieces out to use with Big Kid on our felt board (aka piece of felt thumb tacked to the wall). This was the first time we used the felt board for story retelling and she was very excited. We went through the story a few times together, then I left the book and pieces near the board for her to use on her own.
We also used this book as inspiration for an art project. We decided to make a caterpillar using different art techniques and mediums. We used markers, crayons, tissue paper, and paint, along with different scratching tools, after watching Eric Carle work. Yes, things got messy, but we had fun and learned some new art techniques along the way. I highly recommend you check out Eric Carle painting in the above link before doing this with your kids.
What is your favorite Eric Carle book?
Kid's Lit Life 