Teachers Pack
Ideas for activities to accompany the Munching
Caterpillars Workshops
Hello!
You may be reading this if you are a teacher or group leader of children who have
taken part in the Munching Caterpillars Project. Or, you may simply be looking for
ideas to introduce the topic of Moths, Butterflies and Caterpillars and all that this
entails (life-cycles, adaptation, nature conservation etc) to young people.
If so – this pack is for you! We have put together some suggestions for activities that
complement the workshops that we run as part of the Munching Caterpillars Project
(see our Workshop Pack for more details, along with lots more information on the
project at www.munchingcaterpillars.org). However, they also work just as well as
standalone activities that can be incorporated in to your own programme.
These ideas have been developed for children at Key Stage 2 (7-11 year olds) but
they can easily be adapted to suit different age groups.
We hope that you find this pack useful, and would love to hear any feedback or
suggestions you may have to help us improve it. Please contact us via the Munching
Caterpillars website.
Best wishes,
Megan Lowe, Kate Merry & Catherine Mason
Munching Caterpillars Project Officers
Contents
Megapillar – a creative activity that encourages children to combine their knowledge
of adaptation with their imagination to make their own species.
How important are butterflies and moths? – a visual way of exploring the role that
these insects play in the ecosystem, showing children just how important they are.
Mapping - explore your school grounds and map the butterfly, moth and caterpillar
friendly plants. How moth and butterfly friendly is your school?
Rearing caterpillars – some help and guidance for rearing caterpillars in the
classroom.
Word search – two word searches on butterfly and moth species and food and
nectar plants.
Butterfly/moth Fact File – use our template to help children create their own Fact
File on their favourite butterfly or moth species.
Identification and monitoring – why not take part in Butterfly Conservation’s
Garden Butterfly Count? Make use of our simple ID and recording sheets.
Megapillar
This simple activity encourages children to get creative and design their own species
of moth/butterfly caterpillar. As demonstrated by our workshop involving live
specimens, caterpillars come in a huge range of colours, patterns and textures. They
each have their own strategy for avoiding being eaten by predators; be that
camouflage or by confusing or even scaring them away.
To remind the children of the huge diversity of caterpillars, use our ID guides at
www.munchingcaterpillars.org/resources/ or do a web based image search.
The children must now design their own caterpillar, thinking about how their
caterpillar will avoid being eaten and then selecting the appropriate materials they
will need to create it. For example, their caterpillar may be covered in leaves to
make it camouflaged, or they may choose bright warning colours to show predators
that it is poisonous.
What you will need
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Our caterpillar template, photocopied on to paper or card (see next page –
simply copy and paste image in to a new document to enlarge or shrink it)
Glue
Colouring pencils, pens, crayons, paints
Scraps of textiles such as old socks, wool, felt
Scraps of paper such as old magazines, newspaper, wrapping paper
Natural materials such as twigs, leaves, straw, bark
Follow up
You could go a step further by asking the children to come up with a name for their
species, based on where it lives or what it looks like (use our ID guides for
inspiration!). Also ask them to think about the kind of habitat the caterpillar lives in
and what it likes to eat.
Megapillars make a great basis for a classroom wall display!
How important are butterflies, moths & caterpillars?
This exercise will build on what the children learn in their first Munching Caterpillars
workshop. It explores the many benefits that butterflies, moths and caterpillars bring
to the ecosystem (including people).
Begin by asking the children “why are butterflies, moths and caterpillars important?”
Answers can be recorded on a flipchart or white board. Once the main points are
listed, the children can be split into groups and asked to research the points in detail.
They can then either feed back their findings to the class in the form of a mini
presentation, or they can all contribute towards a large wall display using facts and
images to illustrate their research. Examples and ideas are provided below:
Why are they important
“They are beautiful, and seeing them in
our gardens makes us feel happy.”
“They are good at pollinating.”
“Other animals need them for food.”
“They inspire people to create art and
music.”
Ideas for research
Find pictures of people enjoying
butterflies and moths. Ask five people
why they like butterflies and record what
they say.
How do butterflies and moths pollinate
flowers? Why is that good for us? Find
pictures of moths or butterflies
pollinating. Make a diagram of a flower
showing where the nectar and pollen
are.
What are the main predators of moths,
butterflies and caterpillars? How do
these animals hunt them? What facts
and figures can show how important
they are as food for other animals?
Collect images of butterflies and moths
in art (even body art!). How many pieces
of music can you find that have been
inspired by butterflies moths and even
caterpillars? What about characters in
famous books?
Mapping food and nectar plants –how good are your
school grounds for moths and butterflies?
This activity provides another opportunity to get outside the classroom and
encourage the children to look more closely at their surroundings. The activity
involves walking the school grounds to assess how good they are for butterflies and
moths.
The children can visit each area of the school grounds in turn, looking for caterpillar
food plants and good nectar plants. They can annotate what they find on a simple
aerial map of the school as they go, marking on the trees and hedgerows, plants and
flowers. Once back in the classroom, they can complete a table to help them assess
which areas of their school grounds provides the best habitat for butterflies and
moths.
We have provided a list of the most common and easily identifiable plants that are
good for butterflies, moths and caterpillars.
What you will need
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A list of the most common and easily identifiable food and nectar plants
(provided overleaf)
Create a simple table for entering information and assessing the results
A simple plant identification guide if you are not confident. You can also print
off and use the ‘Butterfly Fuel’ and ‘Caterpillar Munch’ menus on our website
at www.munchingcaterpillars.org/resources/
A map giving an aerial view of the school grounds. (If there is no existing map,
it is fairly easy to make an improvised map using Google Maps. Zoom in to an
appropriate scale using the satellite image setting and print out. You can then
trace the main buildings and outside areas and label them.)
Clipboards and pencils
Caterpillar food plants
Native Broadleaved Trees
Oak
Ash
Willow
Alder
Hazel
Fruit Trees
Apple
Pear
Cherry
Hedgerows
Blackthorn
Buckthorn
Hawthorn
Plants
Nettles
Thistles
Docks
Sorrel
Nasturtiums
Fuchsias
Rosebay Willowherb
Garlic Mustard
Common Birds-foot-trefoil
Honeysuckle
Comfrey
Wild Grasses
Various wild grasses left to grow long
Vegetables & Herbs
Cabbages
Mint
Butterfly & moth nectar plants
Wallflower
Verbena
Sedum
Forget-me-not
Daisies
Primrose
Buddleia
Thyme
Catmint
Marjoram
Lavender
Honeysuckle
Violets
Scabious
Buttercup
Marigolds
Clover
Dandelion
Brambles
Aster
Bluebell
Pansy
Rearing Your Own Caterpillars
Rearing caterpillars in the classroom can be a fun and interactive activity for all
involved. Children get to follow the lifecycle of butterflies and moths as well as
learning about food chains and how to care for living creatures.
Getting Started
What you need:
 A small tank, rearing cage, or old ice cream tub – no holes required but if there
are holes make sure they are small enough to stop the caterpillars escaping.
 Kitchen roll – to line the bottom of the tank and make it easy to clean.
 Water spray (optional)
 Caterpillars!
How to find caterpillars:
Go on a caterpillar hunt – search the school grounds for caterpillars or eggs to
collect and rear. The best places to look are under leaves with fresh bite marks, in
amongst nettles, around vegetable patches, or in hedges.
Beware of hairy caterpillars – some hairy caterpillars can cause a nasty rash if you
touch them. Although most will cause no harm at all, it’s best to steer clear of these
for the classroom.
What to do once you have found your caterpillars:
Make sure you know what your caterpillar is eating. They can be fussy critters! The
plant you find your caterpillar on is likely to be the plant it likes to eat. If there is lots
of this plant in your school grounds then this is a good caterpillar to keep as you will
be able to provide enough food for its lifespan.
If there is not much of this plant around or you are unsure what the caterpillar will
eat then it is probably best to leave the caterpillar where it is and continue your
search for an easier one.
Identify your caterpillars – do an internet search or look in books to try and identify
your caterpillars. You can also send us a picture of your caterpillars on the ‘Ask an
Expert’ section of our website so we can try and identify it for you.
How to look after your caterpillars
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Caterpillars need fresh food everyday
Clean them out regularly – old leaves and caterpillar poo can go moldy and
this can cause your caterpillar to get sick
Water – caterpillars get most of their water from leaves but they do like rain
every now and then. Drip or spray a small amount of water in to their tank
every few days
Holidays and Weekends – children can take it in turns to take the caterpillars
home
Once the caterpillar has pupated and emerged as a butterfly or moth you can
release it in to your school grounds so it can find a mate and begin the cycle
all over again
How long will it take?!
The length of a butterfly or moths lifecycle depends on species and time of year.
Some species go from being an egg to a full grown adult in just 4 weeks, but some
can take over a year! This is something to keep in mind when you are raising
caterpillars with a class – if you have the space it would be great to have a few
different species of caterpillar so the children can see (and record) the differences
between them.
Can’t find any caterpillars?!
There are an increasing number of companies online that sell butterfly rearing kits
complete with live caterpillars. These are great if you are tight for time, but do take
much of the fun and personal connection away from finding your own.
It’s also good to do some research before buying to ensure that the caterpillars are
bred in the UK and come from a sustainable source i.e. not taken from the wild.
Word search – food and nectar plants
There are 15 butterfly and moth food and nectar plants hidden in this word search.
Can you find them all? Words run diagonally as well as back to front!
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VERBENA
CABBAGE
HONEYSUCKLE
NETTLES
WILLOW
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THISTLE
Word search – butterfly and moth species
There are 15 butterfly and moth species hidden in this word search. Can you find
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Words to find:
BRIMSTONE
ELEPHANT HAWK MOTH
MULLEIN
PUSSMOTH
BUFF TIP
GARDEN TIGER
ORANGETIP
REDADMIRAL
CINNABAR
GATEKEEPER
PAINTEDLADY
RINGLET
COMMA
LARGE WHITE
PEACOCK
Butterfly/Moth Fact File
Species: ……………………………………………………………………..
Picture of your chosen butterfly
or moth
Habitat: ……………………………………………………………………..
What do I eat: ……………………………………………………………
What time of year can you see me: ………………………………………………………….
Who are my predators: ………………………………………………………………………………………………
Other Interesting facts:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………….................................
What did I eat as a caterpillar: …………………………………….
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Who were my predators: ………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………….....
I used to look like this!
Picture of caterpillar
Identifying and Monitoring
Similar to the mapping activity listed above, this exercise encourages the children to
record their sightings and explore more of the school grounds. It builds on what they
have learnt in the first Munching Caterpillars workshop and is a great activity to do in
between the two workshops and throughout early spring to early autumn.
It is a very simple activity that involves recording what butterflies and moths you find
in your school grounds. This can be done in a number of ways either as a regular
class activity following a set route through the school gardens or simply as and when
the children spot something i.e. at breaktimes.
Use our ID guides and posters provided in the first workshop to help you identify
common butterflies and record them on the template provided overleaf.
By using the template and sending us your records at the end of term you are also
helping us to save the butterflies! Recording what you find will help us identify how
well butterflies are doing across the UK, what habitats they like, and what areas
could do with a little more help.
Make a display in your classroom with a list of the butterflies and moths that the
children find. You could even have a competition between classes to see who spots
the most!
Big Butterfly Count
The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science project run
by Butterfly Conservation. It takes place during the summer
holidays and encourages people of all ages to record and submit
what butterflies they see in a 15 minute period at a location of
their choice. All details can be found on the Big Butterfly Count
website: http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/