Caterpillar Patterns

Math Topic: Patterns

Grade: Pre-K

Materials
Egg cartons, pipe cleaners, pushpins, Large piece of green construction paper, smocks, paint, and small paint brushes

Setup
Precut each egg carton in half to make two strips of 6 compartments each. Prepare enough strips so that each student in your class gets one. Pour three different color paints into cups. Precut pipe cleaners into thirds. Precut a large green leaf and attach it to the center of your bulletin board. Cover a workstation table with newspaper.

Procedure
Review making patterns with your class. Show some simple patterns using linking cubes and have your students name the pattern rules. In small groups, invite student to put on smocks and come to the workstation to create a caterpillar pattern. If students would like their caterpillars to have antennae, encourage your students to stick the pipe cleaner pieces through the front of the egg carton strip before painting. Next, have each student decide what pattern to create. Suggest painting a dot on each section of their caterpillars first to plan out the pattern before painting the entire strip. Once the caterpillars are painted and dried, hang them on your large leaf on the bulletin board. Encourage your students to try and name their classmates' pattern rules.