DIY Hungry Caterpillar Sensory Table Insert

Carmen Fourie
Dec 12, 2024
12 min read

Updated: Dec 13, 2024

Making the Hungry Caterpillar IKEA Flisat Children's Sensory Insert

Bring the magic of Eric Carle’s beloved book The Very Hungry Caterpillar to life with this fun and creative sensory table insert!

Made from simple cardboard and inspired by the vibrant illustrations of the story, this DIY project transforms your child’s sensory table into an engaging learning experience. Perfect for little ones who love hands-on play, this activity combines crafting, fine motor skills, and storytelling all in one. It’s not only a joy for kids to play with but also a fun and rewarding project for parents to create!

Hungry Caterpillar Sensory Table Insert made from cardboard

What you'll need

A Sensory Table with a bin - I use the IKEA Flisat one, but any sensory table would work.
A piece of cardboard large enough to make a cut out that fits the bin. I used an Amazon order box with the sides bent straight because that's what I had. It would probably look nicer if your cardboard doesn't have dents in, but I recommend using what you have and collecting boxes for other inserts from cardboard that is large enough.
White Paper. Any paper that you can paint on. If you prefer to use thicker special paper - that's cool. I used normal printing paper.
A utility knife - I have linked the one I use, but any sharp and strong one will work.
Acrylic Paint - I have linked the paint set I purchased if you want to use the same one and pick the same colours I used. I haven't purchased new watercolour paint since moving to Canada, but if I had watercolour paint I would have used that in addition to using the acrylic paint. The tentacles of the caterpillar in the book look like they were painted with watercolour and watercolour would give a more blended look. That being said I like the vibrance of acrylic and I like that it layers well and paints easily on cardboard. Which is why I picked acrylic paint for this project and if I had watercolour paint on hand I would have done only the tentacles with watercolour paint. Personal preference - I don't like using oil paint. I like that acrylic dries faster and I can use water with it rather than using oil. With DIY projects where I'm using lots of colours and doing more than one layer - I like a fast-drying time. That all being said - I think any paint of your choosing will look nice and some might give a unique look to your project.
Paint brushes in different sizes. I haven't linked any, because I am still using my acrylic paint brushes that I've had since doing Art in high school (which btw was more than 10 years ago). They were expensive and I love them, but the wood is starting to come off. I'll probably need to concede that it is best to get some new ones and when I do, you'll see a link, but for now - I am using what I have. P.s. My paint brushes have moved with me from Dubai to South African and from South Africa to Canada. It was hard getting rid of all my DIY creative project supplies when we moved, and it is taking me some time to re-buy all the things I had.
Paint palette - I really should have shipped this. It is annoying not having one and needing to buy a new one. I prefer the ones that do not have compartments because I like to mix the colours. I haven't bought one yet, so for now I took one of my daughter's stainless-steel plates (don't worry I won't serve her food on the one I am using for paint, although I do think stainless steel does clean properly and doesn't absorb any of the paint). I am probably going to get this one. Mostly because I like them plain without compartments and this resembles the one, I previously had and liked a lot (it was a rectangle).
Pencil and eraser. Any pencil and eraser will do. It does not need to be drawing pencils, but for DIY drawings I would recommend a normal pencil and not a pacer, and a light enough colour that you can erase it nicely and make changes if you want to.
Varnish. I have linked the one I used for this project. It is an acrylic varnish. It dries with a shiny finish. If you would like a matt finish one, then I recommend getting one that dries matt. With varnish I like one that is easy to apply (not too thick) and dries clear. Oh, and one that dries in a reasonable time, but I do typically leave varnish to dry overnight before I do another layer just because I find it works better if it is super dry. This is the first varnish I am trying in Canada and so far I am happy with it. I might try some matt finish ones sometime in the name of experimenting, but this is working well for now.
Glue - a typical glue stick to stick paper to paper and paper to cardboard. You want glue that isn't going to wet the paper - which is why a glue stick will work best. Since you're varnishing over the stuck items, I don't think it matters that much if the glue isn't the best quality. Although sides that don't lift is nice!

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The cardboard insert

First thing to make is the cardboard insert. I find making the first one is a challenge and thereafter it is simple because you can use the one you made to make more.

Tip: ... this may be obvious to you, but I didn't think it all the way through. Do not use the bottom of the bin to trace and outline the cardboard insert. I did this... The bottom is not the same size as the top where you want the insert to lie. I by accidently made an insert that can lie at the bottom of the bin... I am sure I will find a use for it, but it doesn't work for this project.

Oops I made an insert that lies at the bottom

The easiest way I found to cut the insert to the size I wanted was the measure the sides of where I want it to go and mark those with a pencil on the cardboard. Then I drew round/curved edges (I eyeballed this part). When I started cutting the sides I did hold the cardboard over the bin to check that my edges were more or less the same as the box.

As you can see below - it isn't a super perfect fit, but it is good enough for me.

Importantly, it is a tight fit. Because it is a tight fit it doesn't move when touched or bumped and while my toddler can most definitely remove it when she tries - it does take a little bit of effort.

I cut the cardboard using a utility knife with a new blade to ensure it was sharp.

Since making this insert, I have used this cut out to make more inserts.

Tip: Collect and save boxes or cardboard where there is a nice big flat piece to make future inserts.

The face outline

I don't have paper big enough to do the whole face on one piece of paper. If you do - I recommend using paper big enough to do the whole face on one sheet. I used two standard (Canadian - which btw is not A4. I learnt this by buying files that don't fit the paper here) size paper. I glued them together with a slight overlap (horizontally).

I decided how big I want the mouth to be based off how big I want the food items to be (eyeballed it. I didn't measure). In my case I have a toddler, and I hope to use the insert or just the food items for a younger baby in future, therefore I want the food items to be quite large such that the small ones are not choking hazards and nice and easy for even very little (still clumsy) hands to hold. I also like our play space and items in it to be on the safer side because then I can hover less and allow for more independence and free play. Lastly, the size of my food items do resemble the actual size of these food items - which I like. I like play items that are very near to the real item it is made to resemble (while still allowing for creative flexibility sometimes - I do not subscribe to having only realistic photographs in our space).

The rest of the face was based around the size of the mouth and making sure it fits.

I didn't draw the tentacles on this paper, because I added them afterwards using separate paper, but I did consider their size when deciding how long to make the face. I also only drew the outer line of the eyes, because that is what I needed for this part.

The caterpillar in the book does have a narrower face, but given how large I made the mouth I didn't want to have a narrower face. Plus, this is a creative piece and not an exact replica and therefore I was fine with my caterpillar looking slightly differently.

Once the face is drawn - you can set that aside and start painting!

The background

The background is painted straight on to the cardboard.

From acrylic my paint set I used a few colours and then black.

The desired background look is one of blended colours, but also clear stroke lines (as in not perfectly blended). Therefore, there is natural layering that takes place to achieve this, and the white/brown of the cardboard will be covered entirely without needing to finish the background and then do another layer - layer as you go. The paint I used dried fast enough that I could do layers in the same painting session, and I didn't have to wait for parts to dry. At the same time, it also doesn't dry up too quickly (like watercolour) that you need to rush to blend.

I find this type of painting to be very relaxing - just random up and down (only go up and down and don't paint in different directions) strokes of different shades. Adding in colours as it looks good to you. I did add in a bit of white paint to lighten it up in some areas.

Once I completed the green part I added in thin lines of black (use a thinner paint brush and a very light stroke because black paint can be quite dramatic).

While painting the background I also painted a piece of paper that would become the inner part of the Caterpillar's eyes (because they are both green).

The inner eye

The inner eye of the caterpillar is the same colour as the background, therefore, to save effort and paint - I painted a piece of paper the same way I painted the cardboard.

The background and inner eye are the same colour

The only difference between painting the cardboard and the paper is being mindful that the material being painted on is different. In the case of the cardboard background - lots of layering and thick paint covers the cardboard nicely. In the case of paper - you need to preserve the paper by ensuring the paint isn't too wet and layer with slightly drier paint.

Once the paper and cardboard background have been painted - set them aside to dry. The inner eyes will only be cut out when the yellow part of the eye has been completed.

The face

The face is made using the face you drew on paper earlier.

From my paint set I used all the shades of yellow, red and orange.

If you missed it when I mentioned it above, I prefer to use a paint palette that does not have compartments in order to mix paint more easily. Since I haven't bought one yet, I am using a toddler stainless steel plate.

Now time to paint the back of the paper you drew the face on. The reason we are painting the back is because we want to see the lines to cut out the face. In my case I drew two faces and therefore need to paint over the face I am not planning on using.

Tip: Erase lines you don't plan to use rather than paint over them. It is easier. I had to unnecessarily layer paint on paper that isn't made for acrylic paint to cover the pencil lines.

Paint the whole paper using red, orange and yellow with horizontal stripes only. I mixed in some black as well. Whenever I add black lines, I use a narrower paint brush and a lighter stroke. I just want the effect of black lines and not dark patches of black.

You can do this next step now or later. I finished all the painting and then cut out the various elements and this was only because I gave the face time to dry.

Once the paint is dry - turn it over and cut out the face by cutting along the outline of the face and cutting out the mouth.

It will look like this:

The eyes

The outer part of the eyes are yellow.

From my paint set I used various shades of yellow and one shade of mustard.

I drew the eyes (free hand) on a new piece of paper that will be painted yellow. Remember if you look at the caterpillar - the two eyes are not the same shape, and I copied this because I think it forms part of the Caterpillar's look.

Once I was happy with the eye's shapes - I painted the other side of the paper with the shapes of yellow (and mustard).

Set this aside to dry and move on to the last painting part.

The tentacles

I'm not sure about you but I am very tempted to call these ears because of how they look, but no - they are tentacles. The tentacles in the book have a water colour effect to them. If I had watercolour paint I would have painted these in watercolour, but since I do not - mine are done in acrylic paint.

Using the face and the background I decided on the length of the tentacles (because the need to fit between the top of the head and the end of the cardboard insert).

Once I had the desired shape I moved on to painting the piece of paper I drew them on (paint on the back of the drawing).

The tentacles have the biggest variety of colours. I recommend having fun with it and creating what looks good to you and not being too worried about making them look like the book. I did take inspiration from the book, and I added the yellow strokes afterwards when the paint was mostly dry.

The desired effect with this project is untidy horizontal paint stripes - this is why I painted the backside of the paper where you can paint without worrying about "staying in the lines" and then cut out the desired shape.

And now that that is completed, that is all the painting parts done! We can put it all together now.

Putting it all together

Once all the paint is dry - we can cut out the various elements and stick them together.

If you haven't done it yet, cut out the face and the mouth.

Cut out the outer part of the eyes from the yellow page.

Place the yellow eyes on the back of the green paper and trace the outline. Use this to decide the size of the inner eyes.

Cut out the inner line for the green eyes.

Stick the green inner eye on the yellow eye.

Stick the face onto the cardboard. I used an ordinary glue stick.

Stick the eyes on the face.

Cut out the tentacles and stick them onto the cardboard.

And then use a utility knife and cut out the mouth.

Now that all the parts are stuck on, and the mouth is cut out - we can finish off the sensory table inner by varnishing it.

This step is not necessary, but I do like to make it more durable and give it a finished look.

This is the varnish I used for this project. It dries shiny and clear. Varnishing is easier than it appears. I use a paint brush and only brush in one direction back and forth. I start in one corner and work my way across the whole area. You can use water to dilute the varnish a bit if you would like it to apply more smoothly. Check that there are no bumps and push down any paper bits that are lifting (use the varnish to stick it down).

Once the entire surface has been varnished - leave it to dry well over night. I recommend doing at least two coats. Evaluate after the second coat to see if you would like to do a third.

I did two coats. The second was done with a "cheap" Dollar store paint brush. I don't recommend doing that - a bristle came off and stuck to my work. Bristle aside - the inner is done!

Now that the Caterpillar insert has been completed you can move on to the food items! I chose to do them using felt, but you can make them with any material that works for you. You can make print paper ones, crochet them or make 2D ones from felt. I make mine from felt and stuffing. It was my first felt project of this nature and I am so proud of how they turned out! They are beginner friendly!

Check back to the Hungry Caterpillar Insert page to see which items have been completed and follow along!

If you made this insert, I would love to hear how it turned out! Let me know in the comments or tag me on social media.

Note: I am currently exploring the idea/plan to finish the edges of the cardboard with acrylic caulk. If this appeals to you can include it in this project and make the edges of the mouth look neater.