1)   CATERPILLAR
 
 Cut circles from a plastic-foam meat tray.  Punch a hole through the center of 
each circle. Tie a knot in one end of a piece of yarn. Push the other end of the 
yarn through the hole in each circle. When your caterpillar is as long as you 
want, knot the second end of the yarn, leaving some yarn behind the knot for a 
tail. Draw a face on the front circle.  
 
2) PIE-PAN TURTLE
 
 Paint a pie-pan tin green. Glue 4 legs around the edges in the appropriate 
places on each side. Pierce a hole in the back and thread in a green pipe cleaner 
for the tail. The turtle's head is made from an unshelled almond. To attach it, 
the almond needs to have a pole made in the center of the rounded end. This hole 
should be just large enough to push an end of the pipe cleaner into. Secure the 
pipe cleaner to the shell with some glue. Paint the head green. Glue on mustard 
seeds or tiny beads for the turtle's eyes.  


3) Around Halloween I often do Stellaluna (the fruitbat story) and The Very Busy 
Spider.
To go with the spider story I have the children make a spider web using styrofoam 
plates and yarn. Depending on what I have, I most often use white styrofoam plates 
and black yarn. Cut small slits all around the outside of the plate, about every 2 
inches or so. Then the children use a large piece of yarn to spin a web by putting 
the yarn in one of the slits and then weaving the yarn back and forth and around, 
using the slits--criss-cross, diagonal, etc, putting the yarn in the slits. Each
slit will be used more than once. Then when they have just a few inches of yarn left,
maybe 4 inches or so, tie a spider ring on the yarn so it looks like the spider has 
spun the web.
  We like to do this activity too.  I walk around the room chanting "This little 
spider went out to play, out on a spider web one day. I had such enormous fun I 
called for another spider to come." Then I call a child's name and have them 
"hook on" the web by holding my waist. "2 spiders went out to play, out on a 
spider web one day. They had such enormous fun, they called for another spider to 
come."  Then the child calls for another "spider".  And so on until everyone is hooked.
Then, when everyone is on the web, and marching around, I say "Fifteen (or however 
many spiders you have!) went out to play , out on a spider web one day. They had such 
enormouse fun, that they forgot to watch the web and it (clap) Broke! And they All 
fell down!  " And then we all fall!

4) CATERPILLAR CHANGE THEME (science)

Butterfly kits can be purchased from local nature stores or teachers supply stores. 
In some cases, they will need to be mail ordered. The kit will include a small cup 
of caterpillars and a box to assemble to put the chrysalises into. The children will 
be amazed to watch the caterpillars grow and then form their cocoons. When they have 
created their cocoons, they can be put into the butterfly box (included) and then the 
wait begins. After 7 to 10 days each chrysalis will open, and a butterfly will emerge. 
you may choose to display a number of caterpillar and butterfly books to help the 
children understand the process. Ask for ideas from the children about what is happening 
to the caterpillars inside their cocoons. Discuss the changes that we go through in our 
lives. End your edperiment by releasing the butterflies. Talk about freedom and respect 
for all creatures. you might ask the children how they would feel if they were confined 
in a box. Released butterflies tend to stay close. The children may even catch a glimpse 
of their butterflies when they are outide playing.


READING AND WRITING

You may choose to have the children document the changes in their caterpillars. We do 
this by having them draw a picture of the caterpillars as they grow. We then have them 
dictate what the caterpillars are feeling as
they grow and change. They can also dictate a story about the adventures the butterflies 
will have once released. We then display the stories and pictures on the wall near the 
butterfly box.

MUSIC 
BUTTERFLY DANCE:
MATERIALS: scrap pieces of fabric, elastic, hot glue.

Before you begin, create your butterfly wings by cutting the fabric into 12 X 18 pieces. 
Hot glue two 6" to 8" (depending on the size of your children's arms) pieces of elastic 
to each end of the 12" side of fabric. Let dry

Select a piece of music for your children to dance to. Put wings on all the children's 
arms. Have them begin on the floor, curled up in a ball. Tell them they are each in 
a chrysalis. As the music begins they can come out of their cocoons and begin to dance 
to the music. Try a variet of music and watch the different butterfly dances.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING
THE FUZZY: CATERPILLAR

Once there was a caterpillar fuzzy as could be,
He ate and ate and ate all the new, green leaves.

And when he was finished and could eat no more,
He made himself a chrysalis that didn't have a door.

While inside this chrysalis, he began to change,
The fuzzy caterpillar would never be the same.

After seven days, he broke out and my oh my,
The caterpillar he had been was now a butterfly.


5) For the Hungry Caterpillar, or any Caterpillar, butterfly unit
take a piece of consturction paper any color, and fold in into fourths, the long 
way. Cut it on the folds so that you can give a section to each of four kids. 
Show them how to fold that long piece of paper into 4 equal parts. Let them (or 
you) cut a small leaf out of green construction paper.  
  
  On the top on the first section 
  the teacher had written:
One day out of a tiny egg....     and on that section they had glued the small 
leaf with a small lima bean on it.
                                                  
  The second section said:
  Came a very hungry caterpillar...    and on the leaf was a curlyQ pasta (about 
an inch long and looks sort of like a spring)
  
  The third section said:              
  He made a coccoon..  a medium size shell noodle was on the leaf or you might 
want to use the word chrysalis
  
  The last section said:
  And  turned into a beautiful butterfly... and on this leaf was a bow tie pasta 
(actually I found out it IS butterfly pasta.)
  
  It was a darling project (could even be a book) that even a little 3 can "read."
  
6) The other cute idea was a Brown Bear Brown Bear what do you see (that was 
written on the front) book, with a bear picture on the front, and the next page 
said:  I see David  looking at me. There was a picture of David doing "something" 
and then it said, David, David what do you see, and the next page said: I see 
Kailyn looking at me....(with her picture) and so on....it was the cutest cause 
although the kids were all doing "something". They were close up shots and this 
book would be easy for any age child to "read".


7)  Preschoolers -  SPIDERS
 
Encourage the children to draw a 5" circle with white chalk on black paper. Cut 
out the circle.  Cut 4 long stips of black paper, cut in half. Glue 4 stips on 
0ne side of circle, 4 on opposite - poke hole in middle of circle, string with 
web like sting and hang.  Our SPIDERS always make our rooms look "Halloweenie".


8) "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle is a book that my children 
NEVER get tired of listening to and looking at.  One of the things we have had 
FUN,FUN,FUN doing with it is this: Everyone has a small blanket (we use the 
children's naptime blankets) and after first acting out the eating parts of 
the story, we use our blankets to wrap up inside of. After our "long" wait we 
unwrap ourselves from our "coccoons" and become beautiful butterflies, now 
using our blankets for wings.  Put some nice music on for the "butterflies" 
to dance and move to. What fun we have!!  During this fun activity, I encourage 
the children to talk about how they think the caterpillar feels after eating so 
much food, about how they think it feels to be inside the coccoon, and how it 
feels to stretch out his wings and fly. We have so much fun with this story.