The Very Hungry Caterpillar Tasks
Literacy
- Discuss the events of the story including the main story settings, events and principal characters. Talk about the food the caterpillar ate and discuss which foods you like and don’t like. Draw and write about your food items ‘I’m so hungry I could eat…’ e.g. 3 crisps, 2 eggs, 1 jam, 4 chips etc.
- Writing a shopping list for The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
- Practise writing the days of the week in a variety of mediums; sand, paint, shaving foam etc.
Maths
- Make a repeating pattern fruit kebab caterpillar.
- Read how much food the caterpillar eats each day and count and sort the food into sets. Can you count how many items of food he ate altogether?
- Can you name all of the days of the week in the correct order?
- Use chalk to draw and measure caterpillars of different lengths on the pavement, paper or a fence etc.
Understanding the world
- Discuss/investigate the life cycle of a caterpillar. Can you make cocoons around a family member using toilet tissue? Talk about the changes that happen before and after a caterpillar makes a cocoon.
- Go on a minibeast hunt! Observe and discuss the minibeasts you find! Look at new life around. Discuss the different life cycles of various animals.
- Make a bug hotel.
Art
- Use playdough, salt dough or clay etc. to make models of the caterpillar in all stages of its life!
- Create a symmetrical butterfly painting by folding a caterpillar outline in half, dabbing some colour paint onto one wing and then pressing the sides together. Talk about the different colours you can see.
- Explore printing circles to create caterpillar pictures. Cardboard tubes and pom-poms or cotton wool balls make lovely circles!
Lost and Found Tasks
English
Write a story which explains how the penguin got to the boy's front door.
Create an alternative story using different characters, e.g. Zazu from the Lion King arrives on a boy's doorstep and he has to take him back to Africa (suggested by Loui White).
The boy was delighted when they first arrived at the South Pole... Think of synonyms for 'delighted'.
Make a list of things that the boy and penguin might pack in their suitcase.
Science
Find out about penguins... Where can you find them? How are they adapted to living in that environment? What do they eat?
Think about floating and sinking... Why does the row boat float?
Geography
Find out about the South Pole... Try to find it on a globe. Where is in relation to where you live? How far away is it? If you wanted to go there, how would you travel?
PSHE
Discuss how the boy might be feeling when the penguin first arrives at his door.
Explore why the penguin follows the boy. What does he want?
The boy made a mistake leaving the penguin at the South Pole. Discuss mistakes that the children might have made in the past. How did they resolve them?
The penguin was lonely... Discuss what is means to be lonely and how we can help others when they are feeling lonely. What can we do when we feel lonely ourselves?
Whiffy Wilson Tasks
Why not visit the author's website to find some activities related to Whiffy Wilson and learn more about the author? Click on the following link...
Greta and the Giants Tasks
Beware of the Bears Tasks
Check out these links to ideas based on the original story... Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. You will find a video of the story here which little children are bound to enjoy.
1. Story, activity sheet, answers and transcript: ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’ https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/goldilocks-and-the-three-bears
2. Craft activity: ‘Goldilocks play’ https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/crafts/goldilocks-play
3. Song, activity sheet, answers and lyrics: ‘The Goldilocks song’ https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs/the-goldilocks-song
4. Game: ‘Porridge puzzle’ https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/games/porridge-puzzle
5. Story maker https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/games/story-maker
Giraffes Can't Dance Tasks
Room on the Broom Tasks
Five Minutes Peace Tasks
Here you can find some EYFS friendly ideas and a copy of the story to show the children and to help you remember what happens...
Beast Feast Tasks