On a large sheet of paper, draw a 3-foot diameter circle (a pencil on a string makes a good compass). Draw a 10-inch diameter circle in the center of the large circle–this will be the starting point.

Place the contestants (1st-day wanderers) in a coffee can or other suitable container. You can label each caterpillar with a permanent marker just behind the head.

When ready to begin the race, invert the coffee can in the central circle. The caterpillars will immediately begin to wander aimlessly across the paper. The first one to make it to the edge of the big circle wins!

Investigation questions

• Can the students predict, based on their earlier observations, which insect will be the winner?
• Does a larger caterpillar travel faster than a smaller one?
• Does the length of time that an individual spends wandering affect its speed?

You may discover that on any given day not all of the insects will be at the same developmental stage. Some will be in different stages of wandering, while others will still be feeding. You'll have to decide whether to make this activity an actual race or an observational experiment.