Have the children create their own books, using the pattern from "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Use cardstock to make the covers and add seven blank pages. Title the books "The Very Hungry ..." and have each child complete the phrase with his name and add a picture to the cover. On each page, have the children write and draw what they ate on each day of the week. Print sentence starters for younger children, such as "On Sunday, I ate..." Encourage the children to follow the pattern in the book, eating one food on Sunday, two foods on Monday and carrying on to Saturday.
Use the book to lead a discussion on the differences between fact and fiction. Ask the children to identify parts of the story that are real, such as the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly. Ask them to name fictitious aspects of the story, such as a caterpillar eating an ice cream cone. Continue to explore fact and fiction by reading the children a nonfiction book about butterflies. Discuss the differences between fiction and nonfiction books, such as the use of illustrations versus photographs.
Use cardstock to create flashcards containing pictures from the book. Include the caterpillar, each food he eats, the cocoon and the butterfly. After reading the book, ask the children to put the cards in the correct order to retell the story. Use the book to review the days of the week and make days-of-the-week flashcards for the children to sequence. Discuss the life cycle of the butterfly and have the children draw the parts of the life cycle in the correct order.
Provide each child with a colorful paper plate. Alternatively, have each child cut out a large circle from construction paper. Ask the children to find words in the book that begin with the letter "C." Have each child print a word on her circle. Ask younger children to draw pictures to illustrate their words. Assemble the plates to create a long caterpillar to hang in the room.