Kids Craft – grow a grass caterpillar
Get the kids outdoors and get their hands dirty with this fun craft project. Help them grow their own furry pet caterpillar. It’s the perfect craft to keep them busy these school holidays.
Thanks to the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine for the inspiration for this great kids project. We found this idea in an old copy of their magazine (May 2013 )
Supplies needed:
- bucket
- scissors
- 2 paper or plastic cup
- soil – seed raising mix
- quick grow grass seeds – i.e. rye grass
- nylon stockings
- coloured hair elastics
- craft googly eyes
- pipe cleaners
- mini pompoms
- hot-glue gun
- toothpicks
- garbage bag
- plastic tray/ gardening tray
Supplies needed
Steps:
1. In a plastic bucket or tub mix together seed-raising mix and grass seeds. Enough to fill one or a couple of stocking legs.
Step 1
2. Cut the waist band off the stockings, so you have just two leg section like tubes.
3. Cut the bottom off one of the cups to make it into a funnel. Insert and hold it into the top of one of the stocking legs to help you fill the leg with soil easily.
Step 3
4. Fill the stocking leg with soil, quite full, remove the funnel and knot off the end.
5. Using the coloured hair ties, divide the stocking into sections – to make the caterpillar’s body.
Step 5
6. Soak your caterpillar in a bucket or tub of water for 10 minutes. Remove and place on a large tray. Cover the caterpillar and the tray in the garbage bag overnight.
Step 6
7. Now remove the stocking from the garbage bag and place in a sunny outdoor position. Water it daily and within 7-10 days your cute little caterpillar will start to sprout hair.
8. Once grass starts sprouting you can add your eyes, legs and antennae.
- Eyes – hot-glue a googly eye to the top side of a tooth pick for each eye. Poke the toothpick eyes into the un-knotted end of the caterpillar
- Antennae – twist two pipe cleaners together to make a stalk for an antennae. Hot-glue a pompom to one end and poke the other end into the caterpillar near the eyes. Make 2 antennas.
- Legs- cut 4 pipe-cleaners in half and bend them to make legs. Insert along the caterpillar’s body.
Step 8
9. Trim your grass with scissors to give your caterpillar a cool hair cut!
10. Water regularly so it doesn’t dry out and wilt.
Yay! Your new pet is ready! Enjoy watching him grow. What cool hair-cuts can you give him?
