Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Gather your materials!
Step 2
Cut paper towel in half.
Step 3
Draw a colorful pattern.
Step 4
Wrap paper tightly around pencil.
Step 5
Glue paper in place.
Step 6
Scrunch up paper.
Step 7
Pull paper off pencil and add dark caterpillar markings.
Step 8
Put the caterpillar on a plate and add a bit of water.
Step 9
Watch the caterpillar grow!
Learn more
Caterpillars basically never stop eating. Their entire job is to eat and grow — and they're seriously good at it. A monarch caterpillar can grow nearly 2,000 times its original size in just two weeks. All that eating matters because caterpillars store the energy they'll need for metamorphosis. Once they've grown big enough, they stop eating, find a safe spot, and form a hard shell called a chrysalis. Inside, the transformation happens and a butterfly emerges on the other side.
