The BEST Hungry Caterpillar Craft

OKAY, my mom is a GENIUS.

We have a little obsession with the legendary Eric Carle and all of his books.

Specifically The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Surprisingly, there aren't many unique Eric Carle crafts, just your usual

paint something here and glue something there sorta things.

...but mom and I were SO BORED.

My mother is notoriously known for having anything and everything in her classroom drawers...things you had NO IDEA you even needed.

-Sticky tack?

You bet.

-Sharpies in every, shape, color and size?

Gotcha.

-Giant googly eyes as big as your face?

YUP.

But one small collection in her drawers left some teachers asking,

"Why on earth are you hoarding those, Jannett?"

Enter these little boogers:

Almost every parent buys them, most kids love them, and my mom hoards them.

She knew that ONE DAY all that recycled plastic would be put to good use.

AND BY GOLLY SHE DID

So what did I do? I copied her and made them in my class, too.

AND THEN ONE OF MY STUDENTS' MOMS BRINGS ME A HUGE GROCERY SACK FULL

"My husband doesn't understand why I keep these, but I've been saving them for months. I didn't know what I would do with them, but I knew I had to keep these for something!"

After this kind donation of applesauce lids (weird donation, but for a worthy cause), I had enough for all twelve of my kids plus more for next year's class! Woo!

⌘ WHAT YOU WILL NEED ⌘

• Applesauce pouch lids

• Pushpin

• A stick of some sort... Something pokey...[You'll see]

• String or elastic cord [something stretchy is best]

• Scissors

• Sharpie

DISCLAIMER: I know we're all smart adults here,

and this is obvious, but I just wanna make this clear.

PLEASE DON'T LET THE CHILDREN TOUCH THE SHARP THINGS

OR WRITE WITH THE SHARPIE.

[Just puttin' that out there]

Ahem, okay, here we go...

1. Wash the old applesauce off the lids...hopefully nothing's moldy...ew.

Thought this step might be super obvious, but might as well include it, right?

2. Poke holes in the center of each lid with a pushpin.

Mustache pin not required, but they are more fun...plus, it feels better on my thumb after piercing a bagillon of these...

3. Widen the hole with...something pokey.

I used a metal chopstick for this. It worked perfectly.

4. Help your kiddo make a pattern with the colored lids.

Take a look at the book for reference. Talk about his colors, what colors you have, how the lids represent his head and body, etc. Make this a time for conversation between you and the child.

5. After establishing the pattern, tie a double knot at the end of your string and have your 'lil friend lace the pieces on one by one.

You can add as many lids as you like, counting them as you go.

Look at those cute, 'lil hands ♡

doing so well with lacing! ♡

6. Tie a second double knot to finish it off, draw that classic Hungry Caterpillar face, and you're DONE!

I decided to be extra and make an entire wall with them!

This craft is a MUST have in your curriculum for spring time!

Thanks, Mom!

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