3 Very Hungry Caterpillar Inspired Scavenger Hunts
We’re featuring three books by Eric Carle for this month’s Virtual Book Club for Kids. We had lots of fun creating our own Very Hungry Caterpillar Inspired Scavenger Hunts. StoryToys (our sponsor) sent us The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Friends – Play & Explore app to try out as well. You have a chance to win your own copy of the app. At the end of the post, you can find even more ideas inspired by Eric Carle’s books. Affiliate links are included in this post. Thanks for supporting Inspiration Laboratories.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
3 Very Hungry Caterpillar Inspired Scavenger Hunts
We’ve been doing scavenger hunts all week. The Very Hungry Caterpillar inspired these hunts. The first two are great for preschoolers and older kids. The third one is perfect for toddlers.
Hunt #1: Simple Scavenger Hunt
Find items from the story. I looked around our house for toys that could represent things from the story. I drew pictures and wrote how many of each item you could find in the hunt.
Hide the scavenger hunt items around the room. Give your child the list and let him find the items. Super simple. Super fun.
Hunt #2: Treasure Map
Follow the treasure map to find the pieces of the puzzle. Collect all of the pieces, assemble the puzzle, and see the cool Eric Carle inspired art.
Have your child draw a picture from one of Eric Carle’s books, use a coloring page from the World of Eric Carle’s website, or create some Tissue Paper Art Inspired by Eric Carle like we did last year. Cut the picture into a 6-8 pieces. (Be sure your child knows you are going to cut it up and turn it into a puzzle. Aiden did not want his picture cut up, so I made a copy of it.)
Create a map of your room or play area. Hide the pieces around the room and mark where they are on the map. Use stickers or an X to mark the spot.
Show your child the map. You may need to help them with the first couple depending on their previous map reading experience.
Hunt #3: Toddler Caterpillar Hunt
This game is very similar to our farm animal treasure hunt for toddlers.
You’ll need a caterpillar toy or printed picture (or you could use the book). We have the cute little caterpillar plush like this one.
Introduce your child to the caterpillar. Then, hide the caterpillar in plain sight. Ask your child to find it. Do you see the caterpillar? Where is the caterpillar? Move the caterpillar to a new location and ask your child to find it again.
For older children, you could actually hide the caterpillar. Play hot and cold or give clues as to where he’s hiding.
1 year old Lily took a turn hiding the caterpillar, too.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Friends – Play & Explore App
I was first drawn to the beautiful graphics in The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Friends – Play & Explore App. You really feel like you are in an Eric Carle book. There is a lot to do in this app. Read the storybook to learn about the animals and play eight different games.
In the game below, you have to help the Very Hungry Caterpillar eat the fruit and avoid the sweets as he runs across the page.
For each game that is completed, you’ll earn a badge. Find the hidden seahorses in the game below. Help Mister Seahorse count his babies after they hatch.
In addition to the games, you’ll find jigsaw puzzles of several animals and a sticker book. Create your own 3D popup scenes with insect stickers. After arranging the stickers, watch the insects fly, jump, or crawl around. Press the camera button to save a copy of your picture. Here is a saved scene that Aiden made. You can change the color of the frame in the app as well.
The FREE version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Friends – Play & Explore App contains a few puzzles, a few spot the difference games, and the pop-up sticker book. You can pay to unlock the additional games and activities.
Download The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Friends – Play & Explore App for your device.
Enter for a Chance to Win Your Own Copy of the App for iOS
StoryToys Entertainment is providing 3 copies of the iOS app to Inspiration Laboratories readers. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.
Terms – No purchase necessary. Odds of winning are based on number of entries. Sweepstakes starts on 5/14/15 and ends at 11:59pm CDT on 5/20/15. Four entries allowed per person. 18 and older. Rafflecopter will be used to randomly select winners from the entries. When the giveaway ends, I will contact the winners by e-mail. The winners will have 48 hours to respond before I randomly select a new winner.
The app code being given away can only be used on iOS devices.
More Ideas from the Virtual Book Club for Kids
See more activities inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Very Hungry Caterpillar Days of the Week from Rainy Day Mum
The Very Hungry Caterpillar I Spy from The Pleasantest Thing
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities: Letter Sorts from Growing Book by Book
Easy Very Hungry Caterpillar Fine Motor Skills Activity from Lalymom
Very Hungry Caterpillar Puzzles from Playdough to Plato
Lacing Letters Inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar from The Educators’ Spin On It
Very Hungry Caterpillar Paper Plate Name Game from Toddler Approved
Try these activities after reading The Tiny Seed
Two Flower Crafts – The Tiny Seed from 3 Dinosaurs
This idea pairs well with The Mixed-Up Chameleon
DIY Mixed Up Beads from Mama Miss
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Disclosure: I was given The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Friends – Play & Explore App by StoryToys and was compensated for my review. Amazon links are affiliate links. See disclosure policy for more info.
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