Teach kids how to grow cress with this super cute caterpillar gardening activity – just perfect spring craft for kids
Cress Caterpillars are a fab introduction to gardening for young children.
Kids have a natural interest in gardening and growing plants.
They love the whole process, planting, watering their little project and looking after it.
Best of all with our cress caterpillars they get to eat it once it’s grown.
Cress Caterpillars are a really lovely activity for younger children – nice and bright and fun.
Cress caterpillars are fun to make leading up to spring. You can grow them inside on a nice sunny windowsill.
The huge advantage of growing cress is that you really only have a few days to wait until you can eat it.
How to grow cress caterpillars
What you need to make cress caterpillars
- egg box
- green paint
- paint brush
- scissors
- pipe cleaner
- stick on eyes
- red pen to draw the smile
- sticky tape
- cotton wool
- cress seeds
What you need for the cress caterpillar lunch
- pan
- water
- egg
- mayonnaise
- bread
- scissors
- the cress caterpillar
How to grow cress caterpillars – instructions
- Firstly cut the egg box in half so that we have 3 mini plant pots in a row.
- Next we cut a caterpillar face from the egg box lid.
- Paint the whole caterpillar and face green and then allow to dry.
- Using sticky tape attach the caterpillar face to the body.
- Stick on curled pipe cleaners for antennae.
- Stick on the eyes and draw a smile.
- Fill the plant pots with cotton wool.
- Sprinkle cress seeds into each pot and dampen with a sprinkling of water.
- Put onto a nice sunny windowsill and water every day.
How to make egg and cress sandwiches with your cress caterpillar
- After around a week of growing the cress will be ready to eat!
- So to make egg and cress sandwiches – put your egg on to boil – just pop it in a pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and boil for around 7-8 minutes.
- Then remove the egg and allow it to cool. Once cool, peel off the egg shell and chop with a teaspoon of mayonnaise.
- Spread the chopped egg mayonnaise onto slices of bread.
- Help your child to snip the cress with scissors and give it a quick rinse.
- Sprinkle on top of the egg mayonnaise sandwiches.
Learning Opportunities with Cress Caterpillars
Lots of learning opportunities can be incorporated into this activity.
Plenty of language and conversation practice and use of descriptive words.
Fine motor skills involved in the making of the cress caterpillar.
The simple science of growing plants, watching the seeds germinate and start to grow.
And ending with helping to cook a nice little lunch.
We like to read the Hungry Caterpillar as our bedtime story whilst we are doing this activity!
Spring Crafts for Kids to Try
How to grow cress caterpillars
Super cute gardening craft for kids - how to grow cress
Materials
- Empty cardboard egg box
- Green paint
- Pipe cleaner
- Stick on eyes
- Red pen
- Sticky tape
- Cotton wool balls
- Packet of cress seeds
Tools
- Paint brush
- Scissors
Instructions
- Firstly cut the egg box in half so that we have 3 mini plant pots in a row
- Next we cut a caterpillar face from the egg box lid
- Paint the whole caterpillar and face green and then allow to dry
- Using sticky tape attach the caterpillar face to the body
- Stick on curled pipe cleaners for antennae
- Stick on the eyes and draw a smile
- Fill the plant pots with cotton wool
- Sprinkle cress seeds into each pot and dampen with a sprinkling of water
- Put onto a nice sunny windowsill and water every day.
Save or share our cress caterpillar on Pinterest now!
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