When my son did the Build a Bug activity, all the
differences between insects and spiders popped up and got me thinking about how
fun it would be to make a spider. This wasn’t the first time we’ve explored
these little eight-legged wonders of nature. But it was certainly our most
detailed study.
To begin, we read Weaving
Wonders: Spiders in Your Backyard, a fantastic book that talks about all
things spiders; it even has a diagram of their body parts!
After reading, I gave my son the following supplies:
2 styrofoam balls (one slightly smaller than the other)
1 toothpick
5 black pipecleaners (4 of which were cut in half using nail
clippers)
8 googly eyes
School glue
He stuck the two balls together for the spider’s body using
the toothpick, poked in the 8 small black pipecleaners (for legs), glued on
googly eyes, and clipped some small sections of pipecleaner to add as the
spider’s spinnerets. Meet Cyger the Spider!
Afterwards,
he wrote what he’d learned on a nifty spider recording sheet I’d created.
To download a PDF of the spider writing prompt, click here.
I really like this idea! I especially like the eyes!
ReplyDeleteI love it - this spider looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you something crazy...We were at Walmart today and my oldest son picked up a styrofoam ball and said, "Mom, can't we do something with these?" And now here I am at your blog and this activity is just the PERFECT idea!
ReplyDeleteRachel, I'm so glad this blog post was perfectly timed!! You could totally go crazy making these fun spiders - add paper mache to the body, use lace for a web, etc. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a great spider craft! Fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy
That is a lovely resource! I shall be using the worksheet. Thanks linking to science sparks!
ReplyDeleteI just LOVE all of your ideas =)and each posts gets me thinking about more ways to add math and science to our lives! We are starting a collection of books and activities on our blog and this is exactly what we are looking for. We would love to have you link this and any other one book and activity post up as well. The link will be open year long!http://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/p/love-books.html
ReplyDeleteYour webbing activity and spider are wonderful! What a great way to apply what has been learned.
ReplyDeleteThis is AWESOME!! We are doing an insect unit in a week or two and this will be PERFECT!! Thanks for the idea =-) Thanks for linking up to TGIF. Have a great weekend,
ReplyDeleteBeth =-)
This is great. I love the hands on aspect. Thanks for sharing at AfterSchool!
ReplyDeleteLove your writing prompt worksheet! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHmmph, I thought I had commented already, just goes to show how distracted I've been this week. Well since I obviously didn't yet, let me say I'm sure my boys will thank you once I do this activity.
ReplyDeleteI love your activities. I linked this post to one of mine.
ReplyDeletehttp://books4learning.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-spider-theme-fiction-picture.html