Thrifty Scissors: caterpillar

Showing posts with label caterpillar. Show all posts

Thursday, August 18, 2022

20 Facts About The Caterpillar/Butterfly

Caterpillar. Mrs. Sigourney has written a child's poem about a butterfly, in which the beautiful insect sings as it flies through the sunny air, "I was a worm till I won my wings." Truly the ancients never conceived a myth more beautiful and wonderful than this familiar story of nature - the life history of the butterfly.

Stages of the caterpillar and butterfly.

The lovely, winged creature is the fourth and last step in the development of the insect, and the caterpillar is the second, for it is the larva, or worm, that hatches from the egg.
A study of the origin of the word caterpillar shows that it means, literally, hairy cat.
Everyone is familiar with the woolly kinds, and the name, so far as they are concerned, is not inappropriate.
There are, however, hairless kinds, the skin of which is often beautifully marked lengthwise or crosswise, or covered with rings and eye-spots.
When the tiny caterpillar first emerges from the egg it proceeds to eat, for this is to be its chief duty during the larva stage.
The eggs are always deposited where plant food can easily be reached.
Before very long the skin of the worm becomes too tight, for it does not increase as the body grows larger.
Accordingly the caterpillar soon crawls out through a split which occurs near the front end; that is, it molts (see Molting).
This process is repeated four or five times, and in each case a new skin has formed under the old one.
The body of a full-grown worm is usually divided into twelve rings or segments, and each of the first three rings bears a pair of five-jointed legs.
There are also short leg- stumps on the abdomen, which disappear when the last molting takes place.
On each side of the head there are six eye-spots; the head also bears a pair of short, three-jointed feelers, besides jaws and other mouth organs.
Glands, some with unpleasantly odorous or stinging secretions, frequently occur on the skin.
There comes a time when the caterpillar ceases to eat and begins to prepare for the so-called pupal, or resting, stage.
The caterpillar stage lasts two or three months in temperate regions, but it may be of two or three years' duration in Arctic lands.
The quantity of food eaten is used to nourish the pupa.
Moth caterpillars spin a casing of silk about them, and form cocoons, while the pupal stage of butterflies is passed in a hard skin covering.
Butterfly pupae are called chrysalids.
When the pupa reaches maturity the outside casing splits open, and the butterfly comes out, rather crumpled and weak at first, but soon ready to spread its wings for a happy life in the sunshine.
The same processes of development occur in the life history of moths.

More About The Caterpillar/Butterfly:

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Caterpillar On The Wall

Caterpillar On The Wall
by Marion Ryan

Caterpillar on the wall,
Fuzzy, furry yellow ball!

Don't I wish that I could spy
You turning to a butterfly!

Will you be a yellow one,
Sparkling, golden, in the sun,

Or a dusky tan and brown,
Fluttering lightly up and down,

In and out among the flowers
All the warm sweet summer hours?

Caterpillar, please don't go
Till you've told me how you grow.

Friday, May 4, 2018

The Butterfly

The Butterfly

author unknown

"Don't kill me," caterpillar said,

As Clara raised her heel,

Upon the humble worm to tread,

As though it could not feel.

"Don't kill me- I will crawl away,

And hide me from your site,

And when I come, some other day,

You'll view me with delight."

The caterpillar went and hid

In some dark, quiet place,

Where none could look on what he did,

To change his form and face.

And then, one day, as Clara read

Within a shady nook,

A butterfly, superbly dressed,

Alighted on her book.

His shining wings were dotted o'er

With gold, and blue, and green,

And Clara owned she naught before

So beautiful had seen.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Caterpillar Finger Plays

This nursery finger play comes with pictures, hand motions and piano sheet music for early learning and kindergarten teachers.

Fuzzy little caterpillar,

Crawling, crawling on the ground!

Fuzzy little caterpillar,

Nowhere, nowhere to be found

Though we've looked and looked and hunted

Everywhere around!

When the little caterpillar

Found his furry coat too tight,

Then a snug cocoon he made him

Spun of silk so soft and light;

Rolled himself away within it--

Slept there day and night.

See how this cocoon is stirring!

Now a little head we spy--

What! Is this our caterpillar

Spreading gorgeous wings to dry?

Soon the free and happy creature

Flutters gayly by.

Sheet music to accompany the finger play.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

The Caterpillar

The Caterpillar

by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Brown and furry

Caterpillar in a hurry;

Take your walk

To the shady leaf, or stalk.

May no toad spy you,

May the little birds pass by you;

Spin and die,

To live again a butterfly.

This beautiful child has learned her caterpillar poem!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

A Popular Crayon Etching Technique Used in Elementary Schools

Leona's Art Class. Learn to create fun and easy art projects for kids of all ages. Do try this at home! Please visit leonasartclass.blogspot.com

Child art using the same method demonstrated above.

Below is a sample of the same coloring technique used to make a picture of a very hungry caterpillar. This little artist was in second grade when she drew this picture. Teachers and/or parents may also use a similar technique replacing the black crayon with black poster paint or tempera paints. You may find that this simplifies the last step and covers the surface of your etching paper more thoroughly. Also, little hands can tire before the prep on this project is finished and the painted surface is a alternative that saves tired arms and fingers! Etch your picture then on the following day.
You may also use a coloring sheet as a outline to begin your crayon etching. Simply place a coloring sheet on top of the finished, dry, black surface of the paper and press firmly while tracing the outline of your coloring picture with a pencil. Do this on a hard surface, like a wooden table. Then lift the coloring sheet off the etching paper and begin to scratch off areas inside and out of the outline transfer to create a fun design.

More Crayon Etching by Children:

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Links to More Than 100 Apple Crafts!

A worm, crafted from a paper chain, wiggles his way down the face of a vividly colored paper apple. With the
combination of several ordinary tools plus materials found at any grocery or drug store, your child can craft
fun and easy apple projects for fall displays and school assignments.

Above is one of many paper apple crafts posted at Thrifty Scissors. Here I have combined several craft methods used by early learning teachers to develop the small motor skills of their young students. You will need the following supplies to make the apple craft shown above.

a large white paper plate
green, red, black and pink markers
a pale or lime green paper
goggle eyes
pinking shears
regular scissors also
brown and green construction paper
white glue

Directions for the paper chain worm:

Students may cut strips of paper using the pinking shears. This will give their worms a ruffled look. The number of strips will determine the length of their worms. Of course, the more links they add to the worm, the more practice students get at manipulating paper. I made the above worm from small half inch wide strips and looped these together into a very tight chain fold because I liked the look. If your classroom glue is not very tacky, teachers may wish to ofter students transparent tape to hold the loops together.
Students must loop and paste each link into the previous link in order to craft a continuous linked chain.
When they have completed their worms to the desired length, instruct them to cut out a small round head for each worm and glue on the goggle eyes.
Draw smiles on the worm faces and then paste the paper heads to the last link on each chain.

Directions for crafting the paper apple:

I suggest cutting apple shapes from a large white paper plates for this particular paper project. I could have used a red paper plates but this would have eliminated the coloring practice that my students needed. Some of you who are working with very young children may opt for this strategy.
Suggest the coloring of the white paper plate either red, green or yellow. Depending upon the personal preferences of each student.
Then give each student brown and green scraps of construction paper to cut leaves and a stem for their paper apples. Attach these with school glue.
Attach the paper chain worm with glue as well.

Cutting, pasting, folding, coloring, and even twisting paper are the most popular and inexpensive practices included in this helpful listing for educators. Apple crafts and activities in during the Autumn months are quite common in classrooms all across the United States.

Crafting paper apples:

Crafting ceramic, clay and plastic apples:

Sewing/Knitting apple crafts:

Decorating with both fresh and dried apples :

Apple games, worksheets and activities:

Sweet Apple Treats:

An Apple for The Teacher:

Purchase unusual apple items:

The Apple in Literature:

Apple Facts:

Apples: History & Nutrition

Apple Themed Activities and Crafts for Early Learning Centers from pre-k teachers

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