As the girls arrived, the finished decorating their Guide Bags from last week, and each Patrol read over and practiced how they wanted to present some information about caterpillars. We started with our horseshoe - well done, especially as we only reviewed/learned how to do it last week! We paused for a few minutes to gather feedback from the Guides about what they would like to find out/explore around Guiding History for next week's meeting, and then dove right into our activities.
After introducing our theme for the week, we played the Caterpillar Game from Becky's Guiding Resource Centre. The girls are split up into team (Patrols) and each team sits in a line so each girls' legs are around the waist of the girl in front of her to form a caterpillar. Each caterpillar works together to race to the end of the playing area, and once there, the girls unlink and turn around, so they are in the opposite order, then race back to the starting point. We played this twice, once in Patrols (4-5 girls) and once with 3 girls on each team - which most of the girls found much easier!
Our next activity was a Caterpillar Relay Race. Originally, this was going to be an outdoor scavenger hunt, but the rainy weather made us rethink and stay indoors. We had made up an ID card with pictures and names of 12 different caterpillars that can be found in Ontario, and a set of 12 individual picture cards for each Patrol. Players would run to the end of the room, pick up a card and race back their Patrol. Once there, the had to work together to identify the caterpillar before sending the next player to pick up a card.
Using our new awareness of caterpillars, we then moved on to the Caterpillar Presentations. One Patrol shared some fun caterpillar facts, another demonstrated the life cycle of a caterpillar to becoming a butterfly or moth, and the third taught us about some caterpillars that sting or cause allergic reactions (we used the pictures on the ID cards to show the girls what each of these look like).
Fun Caterpillar Facts
- Caterpillars are insects, which means they have three body parts - the head, thorax and abdomen - and two antennae on their heads.
- Most caterpillars are herbivores, which means they eat plants. Caterpillars each constantly so that they can grow.
- Caterpillars grow up and change into butterflies and moths.
- There are about 18,000 different types of caterpillars
Life Cycle of a Caterpillar
- Egg - Eggs are laid on plants that will provide food when the caterpillars hatch
- Larva - When the caterpillar hatches, it begins eating and growing immediately
- Pupa - Butterfly caterpillars develop hard cases and hang from a stem or leaf
- Metamorphosis - It takes a few days to a year for the pupa to turn into an adult
- Imago - The adult's new wings are damp and crumpled, but soon dry in the sun
Caterpillars That Sting or Cause Allergic Reactions
| Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar A white fuzzy caterpillar with tufts of black hair near the front and back. Touching the tufts of black hair causes the poison glands to secrete venom, causing stinging and itching. |
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| Io Moth Caterpillar A caterpillar with pale green tufts of hair and a red stripe. Touching the hairs causes them to release a painful venom. Reactions range from an itching and burning sensation, to one that requires medical attention. |
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| Hag Moth Caterpillar A brown, fuzzy, twelve-legged caterpillar nicknamed the "monkey slug". Touching the hairs causes itching. |
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| Crowned Slug Moth Caterpillar A green slug-shaped caterpillar with a feathered head. The spines along its sides contain stingers, which cause a stinging rash. |
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| Spiny Elm Caterpillar A white-speckled, black caterpillar with orange spots and sharp black spines. Touching the spines results in a painful sting. |
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We then showed two short videos (downloaded prior to the meeting onto a tablet). The first video by the Dodo showed a time-lapsed evolution of a caterpillar into a butterfly, while the second as about the migration of the monarch butterfly and how the species is at risk.
- How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly (YouTube)
- Monarch Butterflies Amazing Migration to Mexico (YouTube)
Our final activity was to Design Your Own Caterpillar. We provided paper and markers and asked the girls to work alone or in pairs to create their own caterpillar. They had to show us what the caterpillar, cocoon and butterfly or moth would look like, as well as come up with a name and what the caterpillar liked to eat.
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We ended the meeting with a few songs - the Littlest Worm, Herman the Worm, Black Socks (by request) and Purple Stew (also by request). We then closed with reminders for next week and Taps.
Links:
- Caterpillars of Ontario (iNaturalist)
- Some Caterpillars of Ontario (Backyard Nature)
