Read For The Record...

On October 8, 2009, join Jumpstart as they read Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Pledge to read today to help set a world record. All you have to do is read to one child... So grab your kids and read. Click here to sign up! Together, we’ll celebrate the joy of reading all over the globe!

After you read do a craft with your child.





First is a simple print and cut color craft from dltk-kids.

All you need are a few pom-poms and a clothes hanger to try this super clippy craft from Skip to My Lou.

Make a dot butterfly or a muffin tin filled with yum!

Get really creative and make this cupcake Hungry Caterpillar Cake from http://cococakecupcakes.blogspot.com/ I think I may be in love with this!!!



Try one of these awesome free printables.

Love these sequence cards...


Print out and cut felt board characters; or print these on card stock and stick a magnet on the back.

Print out a book for your students or child to color.

Days of the week printables.

Some Ideas To Use With This Book

STORY SEQUENCE: Provide a long piece of yarn, a hole punch, and patterns of the different foods (apple, pear, plum, strawberry, orange, piece of chocolate cake, ice cream cone, pickle, Swiss cheese, salami, lollipop, piece of cherry pie, sausage link, cupcake, watermelon) which appear in this story. Students will color, cut, and punch a hole in each food. Then they may sequence the story by putting the food on the string as they appear in the story. You may want to have your students do this while you read the story for the second time or you may wish for your students to try this after you have read the story.


PHONICS: Use the patterns of the foods above. Make cards with the beginning letters (a, p, p, s, o, c, i, p, s, s, l, s, c, w) of the foods. Have students match. To make this more difficult. Place your food patterns in a pocket chart, say a sound, and then pick a student to come up and take one food item that matches the given sound!


MATH: Initially, the caterpillar in the story is small. Provide each group of students eight caterpillars of various sizes (make out of construction paper) an 8 index cards for each caterpillar showing the inches of one of the caterpillars. Have the students work together to measure the caterpillars and then match the caterpillar to the correct index card. Walk around the room and check each groups responses. When finished have each student place all the materials from this activity in a ziplock bag. Collect each set and keep for future use.


MATH/GRAPHING: The caterpillar in this story enjoyed many foods. Prepare a graph with the foods the caterpillar ate. Give each student a small sticky note. Have them write their name on the sticky note. Then have the students place their sticky note on the area of the graph that shows their favorite food. When everyone has placed their sticky note on the graph - ask graph questions: What food was chosen the most/least? How many apples were chosen?...


SCIENCE: Use patterns of the life cycle of a butterfly and have students practice sequencing them. (little egg on leaf, little caterpillar on leaf, larger caterpillar on ground, very large caterpillar on big leaf, other leaves nearby have been eaten, caterpillar building a cocoon, caterpillar inside of a cocoon, butterfly emerging from a cocoon, and butterfly flying away)


LITERARY ANALYSIS: Try making a Venn Diagram comparing