Add eight red licorice whip legs and two red-hot eyes to a chocolate cupcake (such as a Hostess cupcake.)

Use two crescent fruit slice candies to shape two butterfly wings on the top of a cupcake. Place two strips of licorice down the center for the body, spreading the ends to form the antennae for the butterfly.

Give each child a plate with a craft stick and a dab of frosting on it along with an individual bag of min-round cookies. Encourage the children to use the frosting to stick the cookies together to make a caterpillar. Provide a bowl of small candies to stick to the head for eyes and snips of Twizzlers for the antennae.
This can also be done with mini-crackers using spreadable cheese for the glue.

Add yellow frosting stripes to a Ho Ho. Add licorice whip antennas and tic-tac eyes.