Character - Caterpillar

Read the children this story about a little caterpillar:

"There was a caterpillar who loved all kinds of colours and she always dressed in lots of colours. She went to nursery / reception, just like all of you! Her favorite thing to do at nursery / reception was to play hide-and-seek, and she loved to eat snacks with her friends. But sometimes, she got upset because she was very tired after playing for a long time. The best way to make her happy again was to let her nap for a little while. In the winter, sometimes the caterpillar got sick. Her teacher always took good
care of her, wiping her nose and giving her water to drink."

Tip: Feel free to adapt this story to make it more relatable for your class.

I’d like to know more about this little caterpillar, wouldn’t you?
Let’s build her!

Build a caterpillar and a train track. Now experiment with the app.
Put the caterpillar on the track and allow the children to explore the different functions of each button.
Place one action brick of each colour on the track.
Have the children take turns using the app to control the caterpillar.
What happens to the caterpillar on the screen after the LEGO^® DUPLO^® caterpillar passes each action brick?

Talk to the children about the emotions they have seen the caterpillar show in the app.

Ask questions like:

• What emotions did you see on the caterpillar’s face?
• Why was she sad, angry, happy, or playful?
• Can you create something using LEGO bricks or other things to make the caterpillar feel happy or cheerful?

Encourage the children to create models to match each of the caterpillar’s emotions.
Combine all of the models to make a story!
Talk to the children about being a good friend.

Ask questions like:

• When our friends are sad, how can we help them to be happy again?
• How can we take care of our friends when they are sick?
• How can you be a good playmate and friend?

Evaluate the children’s skills development by observing if they’re:

• Expressing thoughts, ideas, and opinions to others
• Designing and expressing ideas using digital tools and technology
• Identifying cause and effect relationships
• Understanding other people’s feelings
• Expressing their thoughts and feelings
• Recognising and naming emotions
• Understanding how their actions affect others

Use this lesson’s format to create lessons for the Troll and the Robot in the app.
Create your own stories for the characters in the Engage phase and explore more interesting emotions with your children.