MORE SPIDER ACTIVITIES
Submitted by Vivian Garcia
This is one of my poems from my Bilingual Poems for Children "Hummingbird Collection"
The spider is knitting a magnificent web,
"I will use the silk as silver thread" She said.
She is webbing all day, she is webbing all night,
She is making a web unique and bright.
Her spinning glands and eight legs,
Help her to make a home for her tiny eggs.
In that house, the insects will be trapped,
With her silver thread, they will be wrapped.
A spider can be found in a garden, or in a barn
Always knitting a web, with its silver yarn.
Versión en Español
La Araña Tejedora
La araña está tejiendo su tela plateada,
Usa hilos de seda y plata en cada puntada.
Hila de noche, e, hila de día
Tejiendo su tela con mucha maestría.
Sus ocho patas y glandulas de hilar
La ayudan a construir su hogar.
En esa construcción, los huevitos abrazará
Y con los hilos de plata, a los insectos atrapará.
Si una araña tejedora quieres encontrar.
En el jardín y en la granja la puedes buscar
Y su tejido plateado podrás admirar.
toilet paper tubes
film canister lid
Make 4 slits in toilet paper tube about 2/3 way up and fan out slits. Dip slits in black paint and press onto construction paper. Dip film canister lid in black paint to make center of spider. Decorate with googly eyes if desired.
SPIDERS HAND PRINT
If you have the children trace their hands with white crayons on
black paper and you cut off the thumbs you will have eight legs by
gluing the two palms together. They can create the faces on their
own or you could take their photo and cut their face out for the
Itsy Bitsy Spider Class Book
Submitted by Janet
After read the Itsy Bitsy Spider to the class, we make up
our own book. Each child gets his/her own page on which he/she draws a place
for his/her itsy bitsy spider to climb. We use a spider stamp to stamp on
the spider, or use thumbprint spiders.On each page we print ____'s itsy
bitsy spider is climbing _____ ( on a house, up the tree, etc). We laminate
and put the book together. It is a favorite book to read from then on.
Spider Web for Language Arts: ages 4-6+
Submitted by Denise
During circle time, take a ball of yarn and, starting with the teacher, begin a discussion on any topic relative to the learning objevtive (stories work well for this). After the teacher starts the story, hold the end of the yarn and say a child's name and then roll the ball of yarn to the child. He/she then continues the story and holds the yarn and then passes it to another child. As the 'story' or lesson continues, the students form a spider web. I like to end the activity by singing the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and adding plastic spiders or a spider puppet to the web!
SPIDERS SENSORY TABLE
Spiders in the sensory table:
1. use real leaves or purchase silk/artificial leaves (to guard against allergies)and place in sensory table. Add plastic or rubber spiders to the table and magnifying glasses for children to search and inspect the spiders.
2. Put water, cups, and several lengths and joints of PVC piping and a few plastic spiders. Allow children to experiment in making a drainspout out of the piping, then show them how they can drop the spider in and flush it out with water. (Goes with Itsy Bitsy Spider theme).
TOOTISE POP SPIDERS
Submitted by Laurie
black latex balloons
tootsie pop (suckers)
4 Chenille stems
2 wiggle eyes
Put balloon over the tootsie pop sucker and stick,use 4 chenille stemsshape legs like a spider so that it can stand up.
Glue on eyes and your all done. They are really cute the hardest part is fitting the balloon over the sucker I've learned to roll and streach the balloon. Good luck there really cute and easy.
RECYCLING FILM CANASTERS INTO NECKLACES
Submitted by Lisa
You can make the cutest necklaces that can even hold things. We used old black film canisters with the lid to make spider necklaces.
1 film canister per student w/ the lid
a string for the necklace
4 pipe cleaners / per necklace
2 sticker wiggle eyes / necklace
black duct tape
Each student starts by painting on the film canister a face w/ fabric paint (mouth and nose) and sticking on the wiggle eyes. Let this dry. Later they bend their pipe cleaner legs and use the black duct tape to tape on the opposite side of the face. The teacher need to use a knife to poke a hole in the lid of the film canister and put the string through. Put the lid on and you have the cutest spider necklaces.
Instead of using fabric paint you could try paint pen markers and instead of using wiggle sticker eyes you could use white out and a marker.
SPIDER COUNTING BOOK
Submitted by Donna
Prior to the activity the teachers make 4 spider webs on heavy paper using black fabric paint(the kind in the tube). The children use these to make rubbings - lay a piece of white paper on top of the web, children use a black crayon to rub over the paper and the impression shows through. Children can use glitter to decorate their web and then we add "spiders". You can get these tiny spiders from any craft store in pkgs. of about 300! We put all these papers together to make a class counting book. I add words to the top of each page using a software program called "Writing with Symbols". The words can read " (child's name)'s web has ____ spiders. Can you count them?" We always include a family comment page in the back of each book. The children love making class books and this one is especially easy.
PUFFY PAINT COBWEBS
Submitted by Sue
Mix equal parts of flour, salt, and water in a large bowl. Pour the mixture into squeeze bottles. Give each child a black paper plate or a piece of black construction paper. Let the children squeeze the white puffy paint onto the black paper. When the puffy paint dries, it will look like glittery cobwebs.
Submitted by Teri
1. Using a paper plate, I either punch holes around the plate or make slits around the plate- slits are easier for younger children. Then I give them some yarn and they weave back and forth and make a spider web. If you punched holes, it's helpful to put some scotch tape and one end- making it easier for them to put the yarn thru the holes. Afterwards, I give them each a spider ring to put in their web and I read them the following:
2. DO SPIDERS STICK TO THEIR OWN WEBS?
The spider weaves a sticky web
To capture bugs to eat.
What keeps the spider's sticky web
From sticking to her feet?
Spider webs are very tricky
Because not all the strands are sticky.
Unlike the passing hapless fly,
The spider knows which strands are dry.
But if she accidentally stands
Upon one of the sticky strands
She still will not get stuck, you see-
Her oily body slides off free.
3. LITTLE SPIDER
See the little spider
Climbing up the wall,
See the little spider
Stumble and fall.
See the little spider
Tumble down the street,
See the little Spider
Stop down at my feet.
4. Speedy Spider Song (tune- Oh, Susanna)
I was sitting in my room one day
When it came right through the door.
A big spider sped right by me-
Went racing 'cross the floor.
Oh, that spider! Oh how it scared me so.
But spiders can be good friends. And so I let it go.
I watched it crawl up the wall,
To find a spot just right.
It spun a web so beautiful.
And then went out of sight.
Now bugs and flies do not scare me,
For I know that it's true-
That a spiderweb is good to have,
Bugs stick to it like glue.
5. "A New Itsy-Bitsy Spider"
The itsty-bitsy spider
Crawled up on (Name)'s head.
He crawled all around, then used it for a bed.
He crawled down (his/her) back
and jumped down to the floor.
Then the itsy-bitsy spider
Crawled underneath the door.
6. Activity: Yummy Spiders
Materials: 1 box of doughnut holes, 12 shoelace string licorice, 1 bag of mini m&ms, small paper plates
Preparation: I drew spider webs on the paper plates with a black magic marker the night before we made these yummy snacks.
Directions: Have the kids place a doughnut hole on their web plate. Cut each shoe lace string into 6 pieces. Attach the legs to the spider by
gently pushing in to the side center of the doughnut hole. Press mini m&ms into the front portion of the doughnut hole. Now you have a fun, yummy
7. We read spider books. One cute project was with the Itsy Bitsy Spider. We sing and act it out. Then, we individually make a large house on
paper. We tape a bendy straw on the side of the house to make a water spout. Then, you put a spider ring on the straw and slide the spider up and
down the straw while singing the song.
Submitted by Gerri
Take a top of an old shirt box and place a piece of black construction paper in it. Add a glob of white tempra paint to the middle of the construction paper. Place a marble in the glob of paint and have the student move the marble back and forth making lines aross the paper to form the shape of a spider web. Hang to dry. Once the web is dry it can be cut into a circle to be more realistic. I then add the following craft spider with hot glue.
Needed: Large 4 hole buttons
Small wiggly eyes
In each hole of the button push a pipe cleaner folded in half through so that the open ends are on the bottom of the button, fold a small amount of each pipe cleaner to form "feet". Do this with all 4 holes (4 holes thus producing 8 legs.) Add wiggly eyes to top of button (2-8) depending on how realistic you want it to look.
Submitted by Karen
Here's a cute idea for spiders that my daughter did in preschool--I've also done this with my own class of four-year-olds.
You will need 4" styrofoam balls, cut in half. (One half per child)
Allow the kids to paint these black. (Thick paint works best)
Add wiggly eyes, and pipe cleaner legs. (use black pipe cleaners cut in half , and then bent in the middle for that "jointed leg" effect)
Attach a piece of elastic string (about 24") to a brad paper fastener, and insert the brad all the way into the styrofoam.
Attach the other end of the string to a wooden dowel (a shiskabob stick or chopstick will work fine).
You now have a "spider puppet"!
The kids love to see the spiders "jump" up and down! Use this with your "Little Miss Muffet" rhyme, or any other Halloween spider fingerplays!
Title: SPIDER ACTIVITIES
The following cross curriculum spider ideas were submitted by Anita
Title: Spider Webs - ART
Cut an 8 inch square piece of cardboard for each child. Cut slits ½ inch deep around the sides, about 1-½ inches to 2 inches apart. Cut yarn into 6-foot lengths. Tape the end of a piece of yarn on the back of each card and pull it through one of the slits.
Let the children cross the yarn back and forth over the fronts of their cardboard squares, attaching it through the slits. Slits can be used more than once. Have them continue until the yarn resembles a spider web.
Title: Spider Hats - ART
Use dark tagboard strips to form a crown like hat. Kids attach 8 wiggle folded paper strips for legs, and wiggle eyes.
Title: Spider Web Game - Gross motor Skills
Using a ball of yarn or string, weave your own room size or play yard size spider web. Let them hang colorful scarves on their spider webs to be caught and crawl around in the web.
Sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider and add other verses tha tstrees 'opposite'. Such as "Big Fat Spider" (say with loud low voice and instead of fingers crawling use hands) or Medium Size Spider, or Very Quiet Spider…………
Title: Edible spiders
Use a pear half for the body, licorice string for the legs, raisins or other small food for the eyes.
Submitted by Marilyn Cabana firstname.lastname@example.org
Take pieces of white construction paper and cut them to fit into a large, aluminum pie plate, or into a shirt box. Dip marble into black paint and then place them onto the white construction paper. Roll them back and forth (marble printing) They now look like a spiders web. Hang them to dry. When dry have the child place his thumb on an inkpad and make thumbprints on the spider's web. Add eight tiny black legs (four on each side of the thumbprint) to look like the spiders on their web. This looks great on a bulletin board.