DIY: Colourful Caterpillar | Tinkerer Box Blog

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Colourful Caterpillar

Playful Learning

Ages: 3-5

Less than 30 minutes

Grownup needed

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This is a simple yet educational early learning game for young children. The activity helps develop colour recognition, logical thinking skills, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. The creation process is straightforward and uses common household materials.

Materials Needed

Printable template
Coloured pom-poms
Cardboard
5 bottle caps
Lolly sticks
Marker pens
Pencil
Paint
Pegs
Googly eyes
Ruler
Double-sided tape
Paintbrush
Scissors

An assortment of craft supplies is laid out on a light wood table. These include: a sheet of paper with printable caterpillar segments, a bowl of colorful pom-poms, several white bottle caps, a roll of clear tape, a paintbrush, scissors, large craft sticks, white markers, a pencil, a tube of blue paint, a clothespin, googly eyes, and a clear plastic ruler. The arrangement suggests preparation for a children's craft project involving caterpillars.

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1

Using scissors, cut out a 10cm x 20cm rectangular piece of cardboard.

A rectangular piece of light brown cardboard lies on a light wood surface. Black lines indicate the dimensions of the cardboard: 20cm wide and 10cm tall. The image is a simple depiction of a piece of cardboard with its measurements clearly marked.

Step 2

Use double-sided tape to attach the bottle caps to the cardboard as shown, creating the caterpillar's body.

Two hands are arranging white plastic bottle caps on a piece of light brown cardboard. One hand is placing a cap onto the cardboard, while the other hand rests near the edge. Four caps are already lined up on the cardboard. The background is a light wood surface. The image suggests a crafting activity or the beginning stages of a DIY project.

Step 3

Stick the googly eyes on the leftmost bottle cap.

Five white plastic bottle caps are arranged on a piece of light brown cardboard to resemble a caterpillar. The leftmost cap has googly eyes and a drawn smile, representing the caterpillar's head. The other four caps form the body. The image is set against a light wood background. This depicts a simple craft project made from recycled materials.

Step 4

Using marker pens, draw 8 legs on your bottle cap caterpillar, then add antennae to the head.

A simple caterpillar craft is depicted on a light wood background. Five white plastic bottle caps are glued to a piece of light brown cardboard. The leftmost cap, the head, has googly eyes, a drawn smile, and small antennae. Drawn black legs extend beneath each bottle cap segment. This image showcases a children's craft activity using recycled materials.

Step 5

Use different coloured marker pens to add decorations to the cardboard as you like.

A hand with a marker is adding colorful dots to a piece of light brown cardboard. On the cardboard is a caterpillar craft made from five white plastic bottle caps. The leftmost cap, the head, has googly eyes, a drawn smile, and antennae. Black legs are drawn beneath each bottle cap. The image shows the process of decorating the caterpillar craft against a light wood background.

Step 6

Next, take 2 lolly sticks and paint them in your favourite colours.

Two hands are painting light blue craft sticks a brighter shade of blue. One stick is fully painted and lies on a light wood surface, while the other is being painted with a small brush. The image focuses on the process of painting the craft sticks.

Step 7

Once the lolly sticks are dry, attach a peg to one of them. Mind the direction of the peg's opening as shown.

Two hands are clamping a small wooden clothespin onto a light blue craft stick. The clothespin is positioned near the rounded end of the stick. The background is a light wood surface. This image suggests a step in a crafting process.

Step 8

Attach the second lolly stick to the other side of the peg, making sure both sticks are aligned.

Two hands hold two light blue craft sticks with a small wooden clothespin clamped between them. The clothespin is positioned near the rounded ends of the sticks. The background is a light wood surface. This image likely demonstrates a step in assembling a craft project.

Step 9

Using scissors, cut out the printable template along the dotted lines.

A pair of scissors is cutting apart a piece of paper with three colorful caterpillar drawings on it. Each caterpillar is made of different colored circles and has a simple face and antennae. The paper has dashed lines indicating where to cut, separating the caterpillars. The background is a light wood surface. This image likely depicts a step in preparing a children's craft or learning activity.

Step 10

Following the colours shown on the template, use your peg tool to pick up matching coloured pom-poms. Let those little hands get busy!

A crafting project featuring a caterpillar is laid out on a light wood surface. In the top left corner is a small paper illustration of a colorful caterpillar. To the right is a clear bowl filled with colorful pom-poms. In the lower center is the main project: a caterpillar made of five white plastic bottle caps glued to a piece of light brown cardboard decorated with colorful dots. The bottle cap head has googly eyes and a drawn smile, and black legs are drawn beneath each cap. This image appears to show the materials and unfinished state of a children's craft activity.

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