More spider ideas

These ideas were compiled by me from mailings on the Kinder-L list. Unfortunately, I did not keep the names of the original posters, so I can not give credit. Enjoy!!

Spider Ideas

ON A SPIDERWEB

On a spiderweb that I once saw
Eleven little spiders did creep and crawl.
They crawled and they crawled
and they crawled around.
Then one little spider fell down,
down, down.
(repeat the rhyme, reducing the number each time.)

Spiders

We use the egg cartons to make spiders at Halloween ...color (paint
black on cardboard ones) and use thick pipecleaners for legs...

Spider's Web Cookies

1. Get a Cookie
2. Spread with brown chocolate icing
3. Draw "web" with white icing
4. Add a raisin

Spider, Spider
(Sung to Daisy, Daisy)

Spider, Spider, your are a friend, I know.
You eat bugs htat eat little plats that grow.
You really are not so scary, You're not so very hairy.
You have eight feet. Your web is neat.
Little spidery friend of mine.

#211. I Love Spiders

other, level: Elementary
Posted by Addie Gaines (againes@netins.net).
Science Units (spiders and more)
Seneca Elementary School, Seneca, MO USA
Materials Required: Depends on activity
Activity Time: Depends on activity
Concepts Taught: Integrated

We begin our spider unit with the book, I Love Spiders by John Parker. This
delightful story rambles along with rhyming text and a surprise ending.

We also read a factual book about spiders from the Wright Group and a story
from a book called Science Big Books. The pictures are black and white. One of
these days, I'll get them colored. I think the book is published by Creative
Teaching Press and contains other science stories too.

Spider art: Cut two circles from const. paper, one large for the body and one
small for the head. Attach 8 strips of const. paper for legs (can be left
straight, curled with scissors or pencil or accordian folded) and draw eight
eyes on the head.

Edible Spiders: Cut a circle from bread, spread peanut butter, add 8 pretzel
legs and 8 raisin or m and m eyes, eat!!!

Have students bring in spiders to observe. Be sure to caution students that
some spiders are dangerous and they should have an adult's help with capturing
spiders.

Make a Spiderweb Room: Use a ball of yarn. Tie the end of the yarn to a table
leg and call a name and toss the ball to that student. That student winds the
yarn around a table leg, calls a name and tosses the ball of yarn. Continue
activity until everyone has had a turn.

Spider poems:

Cobweb Ride
Little spider likes to climb up a flower hill
Up and up and up he goes
Up and up until
He stands upon the very top
Then quickly down he slides
I think it must be lots of fun
To go on cobweb rides.

I run off the poems on a piece of tagboard with a large flower drawn on the
side. A hole is punched near the top and bottom and student string a piece of
yarn through the hole. They also make a small spider from two black circles
and little const. paper strips. We punch a hole in the spider and string it on
the yarn. Then tape the yarn to the back of the poem. The students can act out
the poem as it is read.

We also use the itsy bitsy spider and make a manipulative to go with it.
Students color a small spider, rain cloud and sun and cut them out. Glue each
to a straw or popsicle stick. Then cut 3 small holes in an inverted styrofoam
cup and run the straw or popsicle sticks through the holes. The children can
work the puppets as the song is sung.

osted by Sherri (belle@ptd.net).
Allentown, PA

Silly Itsy bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider
crawled upon ________'s head!
It crawled all around, then made a
nice soft bed.
It wiggled down his/her shoulder
and jumped down to the floor.
Then the itsy bitsy spider
crawled to someone else for more!!

When we made spiders in our class, we painted styrofoam balls - then the
kids could just stick pipe cleaners in for legs. We added eyes (plastic
ones) and provided markers so they could add any other features they
desired.

We "caught" some spider webs on dark paper and examined them with
magnifying glasses. It was very cool!

Have you read any of the Anansi stories? They are folk tales from West
Africa about a spider (Anansi).

Here's a song we do in our class. It's to the tune of Farmer in the
Dell

The spider in the web, the spider in the web
Spin, spin oh watch him spin
the spider in the web
The spiders catches a _____
the spoiders catches a ____
Spin spin or watch him spin the spider in the web.

** we sub different kinds of bugs the spider would eat**
I use this as a rhebus song chart for my 4's and they love it!
Sue
When I do my spider unit I always get a very large ball of twine or yarn. I
have 23 students and we make a large circle and sit down. One child is picked
as the spider and he/she hands the end of the string to one of the children.
The spider then keeps crisscrossing the circle so that each child has a piece
of string that they are holding on to. When everyone has a piece of the
string to hold, we all stand up and look at our awesome spider web.

Last year, our kindergarten department made spider necklaces. We took the
wooden spools, (ordered from Oriental Trading Crafts) and painted them
black. You could also use a black marker to color it black since they're
not very big. Then we took 4 medium length black pipe cleaners and put
through the middle of the spool so each side would have 4 legs. Next, add
the string through the middle to tie it around your neck and add Wiggle
eyes. They were really cute!

* The Spider Poem
Spiders are not insects
Spiders have eight legs.
Spiders have four pairs of eyes
Spiders hatch from eggs!

Spider webs are stick
Spiders weave them tight
Spiders spin that silky string
Spiders weave webs right!

* a snack idea--take two ritz crackers and spread one half with peanut
butter. Place stick pretzels on for legs. Put the other Ritz on top to
make a sandwich. Dip two raisins in peanut butter and stick on top for
eyes.

We like to do this activity too. I walk around the room chanting "This
little spider went out to play, out on a spider web one day. I had such
enormous fun I called for another spider to come." Then I call a child's
name and have them "hook on" the web by holding my waist. "2 spiders went
out to play, out on a spider web one day. They had such enormous fun, they
called for another spider to come." Then the child calls for
another "spider". And so on until everyone is hooked.
Then, when everyone is on the web, and marching around, I say "Fifteen (or
however many spiders you have!) went out to play , out on a spider web one
day. They had such enormouse fun, that they forgot to watch the web and it
(clap) Broke! And they All fell down! " And then we all
fall!

12) Tuna-Can Spider

·Paint a clean tuna can (or cat food can) black. Let dry.
For mouth, cut a small length of jumbo orange
rickrack and glue to side of can at bottom. Glue two 12mm wiggle eyes
above mouth.
·For legs, cut four black chenille stems in half. To shape legs, bend
each length in half. Glue four legs onto each side of can.

Spiders

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preschool

Goal:

To encourage the children to think of spiders in a new light, not just
as creepy, scary "bugs."
Objectives:

To help the children learn that spiders are animals that have two body
parts and eight legs, that the most common ones spin webs to help them
catch their food, that they eat flies and other insects, and that they
are not necessarily creatures to be afraid of or to step on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Large Group Time

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objectives:

To introduce the topic of spiders to the children through a variety of
media. Children will hear a story about spiders, learn one food that
they eat, learn how they catch their food, count their legs, and begin
to observe a real spider.

Materials:

Book, The Very Busy Spider, by Eric Carle and a live spider captured in
an unbreakable jar or other container.

Procedure:

·Sing the song "The Eensie Weensie Spider" with the children.
·Ask the children what kind of animal this song is about and have them
share their thoughts and feelings about spiders.
·Show the captive spider to the children. Stress that the spider is an
animal and that it will be let go again after class.
·Read the book The Very Busy Spider.
·Let the children feel the spider in the book and its web.
·How many legs does it have? (8)
·What did this spider eat? (a fly)
·How did the spider catch the fly? (it spun a web)
·Let the children know that they will be able to get a closer look at
this book in the book corner during activity time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Small Groups

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small Group Number One: "The Web Game"

Objective:

Children will experience a movement activity that simulates how a spider
catches food in its web.

Materials:

One piece of string about two yards long for each child (tie together at
one end), blindfold.

Procedure:

The children sit on the floor in a semi-circle.
One child is chosen to be the spider and sits in the center.
The spider holds the tied ends of the string, the other children are the
insects and hold the ends taut.
The spider is blindfolded. One insect plucks his/her string and the
spider tries to guess which child did it.
If correct the spider and the insect change places.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small Group Number Two: "Make a Spider"

Objective:

To reinforce the number of body parts (2) and legs (8) that spiders have
while working on a small motor activity.

Materials:

Black construction paper, scissors, pre-cut strips of black sticky tape,
white crayons or chalk for tracing and decorating.

Procedure:

On black construction paper each child traces a figure eight shape for
the spider's head and body. Cut out. Next, children count out eight
strips of black sticky tape and fan fold them. These are attached to the
spider for legs. Children can add eyes and faces to their spiders with
the white crayon or chalk if they wish. Those that finish first can
practice making their spiders move across the floor.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interest Areas

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Art Table: "Spiders in Webs"

Objective:

To let children freely create their own spiders. To help children
understand that spiders build webs to catch their prey.

Materials:

Photocopied webs, thin black tempera paint, droppers, straws.

Procedure:

Children use droppers to put a small amount of black paint onto their
webs. They blow through straws to put the legs on the spiders.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snack Table: "Edible Spiders"

Objective:

To reinforce the basic shape of spiders and to provide a snack/cooking
experience for the children.

Materials:

Large size gum drops, pretzel sticks.

Procedure:

Children choose a gum drop and count out eight pretzel sticks. The
pretzels are stuck into the perimeter of the gum drop to create a spider
shaped treat. Eat and enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Make and Take Table: "Egg Carton Spiders"

Objective: To reinforce again the shape of spiders and the number of
legs.
Materials: Cardboard egg cartons cut into sections with two "bumps," the
second "bump" pre-punched with eight holes; short lengths of pipe
cleaners in assorted colors, markers.

Procedure: Children can create fanciful spiders by putting the pipe
cleaner legs an the spider's body. Decorate with the markers as desired.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discovery Table: "Observing a Real Spider"

Objective:

To observe a real spider close up and in a non-threatening way.

Materials:

The captive spider from the large group activity, assorted magnifying
glasses or a magnifying tripod.

Procedure:

Let the children freely watch and observe the spider. Stress to the
children beforehand the importance of not shaking the jar or harming the
spider in any way and that the spider will be let go again after class.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiet Corner: "Books about Spiders"

Objective:

To provide a variety of information for the children on the topic of
spiders.

Materials:

Books and magazine articles about spiders, including both fiction and
non-fictional stories. Some possible title might be Carle's The Very
Busy Spider, Freschet's The Web in the Grass, Bloy Graham's Be Nice to
Spiders, Joose's Spiders in the Fruit Cellar, and others.

Procedure:

Allow open exploration of the book corner.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiet Area: "The Loom"

Objective:

While spiders spin their webs, we can create a sort of web by weaving.
This is a small motor activity that teaches the children the over and
under technique used in weaving.

Materials:

The large wooden loom, strung with cord warp, multicolored ribbons cut
to the length of the woof.

Procedure:

After an initial demonstration of the correct weaving technique,
children will be able to work independently at the loom to create their
own "webs."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other activity centers in the room that may not be oriented toward the
topic of spiders include the housekeeping area, the toy corner
(manipulatives and puzzles), the block area, the computer center, and
the messy table (tactile area).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Circle Time (Evaluation)

Objective:

To review the information that the class has learned spiders and to
evaluate how much and what information they have learned.

Materials:

Spider costume, the book The Unhuggables, by the National Wildlife
Federation.

Procedure:

Children form a circle in the group area with the Teaching Assistant.
Teacher arrives wearing the spider costume*.
Children can count how many "legs" the teacher now has (2 arms, 2 legs,
plus four additional legs on the costume).
Review the song "The Eensie Weensie Spider," and also learn the songs "I
Like Bats and Toads and Spiders" by David Stokes, and "The Tiny Weaver"
by JoAnne Deal Hicks.
Show the spider pictures from The Unhuggables to the class and discuss
them.

Close for the day by singing "What Did You Do At (Name of your school)?"
with the children and letting each respond to the song before going to
get their things ready to go home. (Weather permitting you could take
the class outside to release the captive spider before dismissing the
class.)

(* Spider costume is simply a black or dark colored sweat shirt with
four extra arms added to it and stuffed. These arms are tied to the
sleeves of the sweatshirt so that they all move when the wearer moves
his/her arms. This is worn with matching color pants, so that the wearer
appears to have eight legs.)

Butterflies Spiders Other Bugs

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