Number (fractions): Hungry Caterpillar
Challenge level ⭐
(designed for children with prior knowledge of the Year 3 programme of study)
Learning Objective
We are learning how to solve a natural world problem by using and applying our skills and knowledge of number and fractions.
Useful prior knowledge:
- To find and write a unit fraction (half, third, quarter, sixth) of a discrete set of objects
Credit: BBC Two - Wonders of Nature
Clip Description
A caterpillar is the larva of a butterfly or moth. It’s the second stage in a four-stage life cycle of egg, larva, pupa and adult. Just like in Eric Carle’s book, The Hungry Caterpillar, these curious creatures have a huge appetite. They begin eating the moment they eat their way out of their egg. Before pupating, a caterpillar’s mass can be 100 times greater than when it emerged from its egg.
In this fascinating clip, we see a a variety of butterfly caterpillars chomping their way through leaves. When the hungry caterpillars finally stop eating, their transformation into one of nature’s most beautiful insects begins.
Quick Whiteboard Challenge
We have learnt that a caterpillar’s mass can become 100 times greater after munching on leaves day after day.
Can you think of a number and make it 100 times greater?