I Don't Mind These Caterpillars in My Garden

I can remember the first book my oldest child "learned" to read.  My little preschooler came running into the living room to demand an audience while he recited..."Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"  Well, he is now a big boy who prefers Harry Potter to Eric Carle.  But that old Brown Bear book by Bill Martin Jr. (author) and Eric Carle (illustrator) is still a staple in our library.  I can always identify it by the duct tape that holds it together.

Since Eric Carle is all the rave this week due to his upcoming birthday on June 25th, we decided to dust off a few of our Eric Carle classics to have a little fun.  We watched Mr. Carle read his "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book on his official website and we made a couple of Eric Carle inspired crafts that I picked up at
http://nurturestore.co.uk/the-very-hungry-caterpillar-craft-ideas.
 The kids enjoyed making the "junk model caterpillar" which was great for recycling, exploring color shades, story telling with models, working with 3 dimensions, and small world play. 

To make the junk model caterpillar, cut a body from an egg box, provide different shades of green and paint brushes and/or little fingers, and let them go for it!  My big boy even enjoyed playing around with the homemade caterpillars while we listened to the story being read.



Here's a cute idea for a Hungry Caterpillar bookmark.  You can be as creative as you like with a couple clicks in Microsoft Word.  For some reason, my daughter preferred a picture of herself instead of a butterfly or caterpillar...little girls...go figure!