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Go for a walk and collect some leaves to create a leafy caterpillar! Take a basket or bucket for your child to collect and then glue them on your paper and create a face and legs!
It’s great to provide our children with lots of fun activities to keep them entertained but so much learning can be involved too without you even realising it! Lots of activities can be extended to support their learning and development and you as their parent or carer are the key element!
Here’s how this activity could link into the Early Years Foundation Stage…
Communication and Language – Talk about the lifecycle of the caterpillar and butterfly. Talk through the activity, modelling good language for your child to hear and repeat. Rather then asking “what are you doing?”, try and talk through stages of the activity for your child to hear language and learn how to use it; and use repetitive language for your younger children.
“Let’s collect some leaves”, “Good gluing”, “Stick, stick, stick”, “Eyes, nose, mouth, legs!”
Physical Development – On your walk ask your child to run, walk, tiptoe and skip. Allow your child to glue the leaves and draw the features. Encourage the correct pencil grip for older children.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development – Encourage cooperative play, invite a friend to go for a walk too to take turns with collecting. Praise your child as they create their caterpillar to develop good self-esteem and confidence.
Literacy – Read ‘The very hungry caterpillar’ by Eric Carle
Mathematics – Use language such as big, small, long, short to describe leaves. Count how many leaves your child uses or how many legs.
Understanding the World – Go outside and see if you can spot a caterpillar or butterfly and talk about the lifecycle.
Expressive Arts and Design – Get creative and use an assortment of media such as pens, pencils, paint or chalks. Create a butterfly too.
Forest Friends is based at Squirrel Wood, Doncaster, DN6 9FE and offers a completely outdoor playgroup, weekly classes and story trails with a variety of activities including mud kitchen, bug hunting, rope swings, den building, hammock, crafts and much more! Click below to view what’s coming up…
What’s coming up at Forest Friends…
