It’s no wonder that the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is such a recognizable book by both young and old. Its bright, vibrant pictures and simple storyline are hard to resist. I personally love the many skills that the book teaches: colors, counting, days of the week, foods, and the life cycle of a butterfly. With so much to offer, learning shouldn’t stop with just reading the book. In my search for ways to make connections to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I found some great ideas offered by some creative websites. Here is what I found:

1. The Virtual Vine offers a multitude of ideas for young ones! I love the songs, poems, math connections, art projects, and bulletin board ideas.
2. Makinglearningfun.com offers various printable activities that accompany the story. I particularly like the literacy connections that include a “Caterpillar Emergent Reader Book” that children make themselves and the “Upper and Lowercase Matching Cards”.
3. Teacher Vision (love this site!) provides access to “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities Booklet“. It offers a variety of activities in science, math, and spelling. Reproducibles for some of the projects are included.
4. Lastly, I love how Ms. Cassidy uses the story to teach the trait of “voice”. You can view a video of her students’ work here: http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337

Here are some additional ways to incorporate this classic into the lives of your little ones. I personally love “My Own Very Hungry Caterpillar Coloring Book”. I may just have to buy one of those for myself : )