Eric Carle-inspired A Very Hungry Caterpillar

"On Wednesday he ate through three plums but he was still hungry."

Synopsis from Amazon-

http://www.amazon.com/The-Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-mini/dp/0399213015

'Eric Carle's classic story begins one sunny Sunday, when the caterpillar was hatched out of a tiny egg. He was very hungry. On Monday, he ate through one apple; on Tuesday, he ate through three plums--and still he was hungry. Strikingly bold, colorful pictures and a simple text in large, clear type tell the story of a hungry little caterpillar's progress through an amazing variety and quantity of foods. Full at last, he made a cocoon around himself and went to sleep, to wake up a few weeks later wonderfully transformed into a butterfly!

Brilliantly innovative designer and artist Eric Carle has dramatized the story of one of Nature's commonest yet loveliest marvels, the metamorphosis of the butterfly, in a picture book to delight as well as instruct the very youngest reader or listener. Cleverly die-cut pages show what the caterpillar ate on successive days, graphically introducing sets of up to 10 objects and also the names of the days of the week in rotation, as well as telling the central story of the transformation of the caterpillar. The final, double-page picture of the butterfly is a joyous explosion of color, a vibrant affirmation of the wonder and beauty of Nature.'

Original drawing by Eric Carle-

  To do: use your index finger (or big toe :))  to make the main body (green part) and use

your thumb to make the head (red). Add details: antennae, eyes, nose, legs. Initially this was to be
a fingerprint/thumbprint project but it quickly morphed much in the same manner as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly into a simple finger painting instead. The caterpillar's head is a thumbprint as is the plum. 

  Need:

-paint in green, red, yellow, black, purple  (for the main body I mixed together green, blue, yellow and little bit of brown. I stirred the colors together only a few times just enough to make rainbow colors with streaks.)
-sheet of white paper

-paintbrushes in various sizes for the details
-hole punch (for the plum "bite")

-crayons or colored pencils (for the legs)
-background paper (optional)
-glue
-scissors

If you don't own a copy of Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar or can't find it at your local library or bookstore, you can find it read aloud here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4HI7q38VmQ