Investigation of a Caterpillar
Ages 1 and up (one 30 minute session)
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Objectives:
- To introduce children to caterpillars in the garden
- To learn about the life cycle of butterflies
Materials:
- Caterpillars and leaves from the plants where they are found
- Jars with holes in the lid
Set up:
Look for caterpillars a day or two in advance. Try to collect different types such as Tomato hornworms, Monarch butterfly caterpillars, or inch worms so that children can see the diversity of forms. Keep caterpillars in the jars with holes in the lids with leaves from the plants where they were collected.
Part One:
Introduce the children to insects through books, exploring the garden on a regular basis, or follow the activity Bug hunting, in section 5. Explain to them that a caterpillar is the immature or “baby” form of a butterfly or moth. Caterpillars cannot harm us. They eat leaves and usually don’t cause a lot of harm in the garden unless there are very large numbers of them.
Part Two:
Bring the caterpillars into the classroom. Stay on the same visual level as the children when introducing the caterpillars, to help reduce the fear of insects that any children may have. Allow children to gently handle the caterpillars, reminding them to keep their hands open and not to squeeze their soft bodies. Using an open hand the children can maneuver the caterpillar to other parts of their bodies. Point out the different parts of the caterpillar: legs, hairs, eyes and segments.
Part Three:
A great way to continue this activity is to raise a butterfly. A good choice is to use Monarch butterfly caterpillars, which undergo the regular metamorphosis cycle above ground. (Tomato hornworms bury themselves in the ground during their pupal stage). Make sure that the caterpillars have enough air and provide them with leaves from the plants they feed from (milkweed plants in the case of Monarchs).
Questions to ask:
- What do the caterpillars look like? (pipe cleaners, sticks, worms)
- How are the caterpillars different from each other? Why are they different?
- What does it feel like to have a caterpillar walk on you?
- What kind of damage does a caterpillar do to plants?
- What kind of mouthparts do they have?
- Do the butterflies have the same kind of mouthparts?
- Do they damage plants as well?
