Materials
Live spider
Small fish tank, fish bowl, or see-through jar
Mesh or nylon netting
Rubber band or piece of string
Small pieces of shrubbery and grass
Damp cloth or sponge
Spray water bottle
Flies or mealworms
Spiders by Lillian Bason
White construction paper
Crayons
Paint shirts
Watercolor paints
Lined paper
Pencils
Instructions
1. This is a fun activity to do around Halloween. However, the timing of this activity depends on when you can catch a spider!2. Capture a spider and put it into a see-though jar, fish tank, or fish bowl.
3. Cover the top of the jar with nylon netting or a fine mesh lid and secure it with a rubber band or string. To make the spider's home "cozy," put in a small piece of shrubbery, a handful of grass, and a small damp cloth or sponge. Periodically spray the cloth with water to keep it damp (but not wet).
4. Every couple of days, feed the spider one or two flies or mealworms.
5. With the children, share pictures and facts from Spiders by Lillian Bason.
6. Bring out the jar with the spider and encourage the children to observe it. Discuss some of the facts you read about in Spiders.
7. After the children have watched the spider for a while, discuss some of their observations.
8. Give the children white construction paper and crayons. Ask them to draw a picture of the spider engaged in one of the activities they observed.
9. When they finish drawing, help them put on their paint shirts.
10. Put out watercolor paints and encourage the children to paint over their crayon pictures to create a watercolor wash effect.
11. Ask the children to describe their observations of the spider (a sentence or two) and write it for them on lined paper.
12. When the pictures are dry, help the children glue the descriptions to the back of the pictures.More to do: Literacy: Read the following poem with the children. About Spiders by Jeannie GundersonLet me tell you about the spidersCreeping all around.Quiet little spidersSpin webs without a sound.Brown, gray, and black spidersOn plants can be found.Busy trap-door spidersDig holes in the ground.Watch for water spidersIn ponds and streams not drowned.Look for the spidersAround you they abound!Music: This is a great time to sing The Itsy-Bitsy Spider with hand movements.The Itsy-Bitsy SpiderThe itsy-bitsy spider went up the waterspoutDown came the rain and washed the spider outOut came the sun and dried the spider offSo, the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again.
