Make a cute centipede that remembers each book your child has read. With every new book, the Reading Bug grows longer.

What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Pick a location for the Reading Bug. Make sure there is plenty of room for it to grow!
2. Cut six to 10 circles out of construction paper or craft foam. You can add more circles as your bug grows.
3. Using permanent markers, draw a funny bug face on the surface of the round lid.
4. Center one of the circles to the back of the bug face and glue it in place.
5. Curl two pipe cleaners for the bug's antennae. Insert one end of each pipe cleaner into the construction paper or craft foam just above the bug's eyes and glue to secure.
6. Each time your child has completed a book, write the name of the book and the date it was finished on one of the circles.
7. This part of the craft is for parents: Make a small hole at the very bottom of the bug's face (next to the rim of the lid.) Attach the first circle to the bug's face by pushing a brad through the circle (about one-half inch in from the edge) and then through the small hole that was made in the lid. Open the brad to secure the circle to the lid.
8. Add the second circle to the first by overlapping them slightly and pushing the brad through the two circles. As before, open the brad to secure the circles. As the Reading Bug grows, attach it to a wall, bulletin board, or refrigerator.

Tips:

If you want to use the Reading Bug for more than one child, assign each child a specific colored circle. Watching their circles make the bug grow will help motivate them to read even more. Suggest drawing a small picture about the book your child has finished. Sometimes, talking about the book together will help give your child wonderful ideas for his or her illustration.