Egg-Carton Caterpillar

Create creepy-crawly caterpillars that are egg-ceptionally fun and easy!

Skill Level: Moderate

Time Needed: 1 hour

Age(s): 5 to 8

Appropriate For: Memorial Day

Supplies Needed:

Project Rating:

Cut off the lid from the egg carton. Use the bottom section of the egg carton for this project.
Cut the bottom section of the egg carton in half lengthwise.
Cut off the lip of the egg carton if necessary so that the edges are even all of the way around.
Paint the egg carton in bright colors. Add spots and stripes to make the caterpillar unique and realistic. Let the paint dry completely.
Glue two Jiggly Eyes to one end of the egg carton. Draw a mouth with markers.
Cut a sheet of construction paper into six strips to make legs. Make sure each strip is slightly longer than the width of the egg carton so it sticks out on both sides of it. Turn over the egg carton and glue the strips to the separators between each section. Let the glue dry completely.
Turn over the caterpillar and poke pipe cleaners into the top of the front section for antennae.

Teaching Tips:

Ask students to help you list the different body parts of a caterpillar—its body segments, legs, antennae, eyes, etc. Discuss the function of each body part. Talk about how insects have distinct body structures that serve specific functions. Brainstorm a list of other insects and their unique body structures.
Use this project to introduce the subject of life cycles. Discuss how a butterfly matures frm an egg to a caterpillar (larva) to a pupa (chrysalis) to an adult butterfly. Introduce the vocabulary word metamorphosis. Have students draw pictures of the butterfly's life cycle. Then, discuss other animals that have life cycles, such as the frog.
Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Ask students to describe the many things the caterpillar eats. Why does the caterpillar eat so much? What happens at the end of the story?
Have students count the number of legs on the caterpillar. Then, have students count the sections of the egg carton. Ask students simple math problems using the caterpillar as the subject. Example: The caterpillar eats four leaves. Then, it eats three more leaves. How many leaves did it eat altogether?