Arachnids Fascinate Young Children

What's Your Favorite Spider Story? 

Spiders are often over feared and misunderstood. When a spider web and huge “Charlotte” appear in the yard you might turn them into family STEAM activities at home (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math).

Observe Spiders

 Adults and children can observe a spider with a magnifying glass for several days while it adds to its web, collects insects, and encases them. Check on spiders working at night with your flashlights. How much progress do they make by morning?  Observe spiders around the neighborhood to compare spider webs. Warn children to look and not  touch because they will bite.
   Check out some other nonfiction spider books from the library like “I Love Spiders” by John Parker and “Anansi the Spider” by Gerald McDermott. Search for “Spiders: children videos” on You tube. Here's one find: 

https://www.pinterest.com/snowangel7781/theme-spiders/ 

"Isty Bitsy Spider” song and many other finger plays are also found on the Internet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLi_tCSJyAA

 Children can discuss how spiders help the ecosystem by catching harmful insects like mosquitoes and flies.

Anansi the Spider - McDermott

 Are there female spiders carrying white sacs of eggs? Research if Daddy Long Legs are really spiders.

   Adults and children may discuss what facts they learn and use different geometric shapes to illustrate a few pages about spiders. Children may dictate sentences for captions under the pictures and help staple the pages together.

Making Spiders

  With adult help, children may create their own spiders.  Children can cut out two circles (head and body), eight long 

FINGER-PLAYS Online!! 

skinny rectangles for legs. Circles for eyes, and tape them together to make a spider. Hang a string and thread it through a short straw taped on the back so the spider can climb and drop down from the string.

  With help children may make edible spiders.  Cut two circles from bread, spread peanut butter, add eight pretzel legs and eight raisins for eyes.

   Children can also go outside to make spider web mazes in sand or on the sidewalk. Spread out stones in the sand to make points for a pentagon, hexagon, and octagon. With a stick or chalk make lines like spokes in a wheel to connect each stone with the center of the shape

  To catch an intricate web, spray one with a

I Love Spiders - Parker

 light coating of white paint and carefully swish a large black piece of construction paper made by taping several pieces together. What geometric shapes are in the web? How do spiders store their meals? Which web has captured the most insects? How strong is a web?

Family STEAM activities help young children observe, form questions, increase vocabulary, do quick sketches and writ stories of what they see for science journals.

For more science and math STEM adventures go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.

How to Make Fall Fun Last Longer

fdarling fotos

Families can make Halloween last a little longer when they do a few activities with fancy gourds.

Grandma Dee purchased gourds with her grandchildren and they discussed the many different shapes and sizes. What animals could these gourds become? Some had long necks like swans.  A few were small round gourds perfect for hedgehogs, porcupines, little pigs, owls, and small turtles with play dough feet. Long necked gourds could be swans and geese.  They hammered small nails into the round gourds and pushed toothpicks into holes for hedgehogs and porcupines.

Painting Gourds

Completely painted gourds must go through a special drying process or paint will bubble and peel and the gourd will mold. To paint only a face or design, wash them first with soap and water. Rub the skin with full strength vinegar or mild bleach, and allow to dry thoroughly under a warm light.  As a precaution place the gourds in a plastic bag over night. In the morning check for moisture in the bag.  If there is none, it is fine to paint. If there is moisture, place the gourds under a light again. If you’re in a hurry, dried gourds are available at craft stores and are easy to paint.

   Grandma and the grandkids only wanted them to last for two weeks. While the gourds dried they discussed different facial expressions that could be painted on the pumpkins and gourds. They looked in the mirror and made faces. Then to practice they drew the expressions on paper.

Some of the grandchildren decided to use marker or paint to make fancy designs of triangles, swirls, curls, and squiggles with faces.

  Older children may want to press on gold thumbtacks and upholstery tacks or use strong quick drying glue to add colorful gems available in craft departments. After painting, older children can teach younger ones a finger play.

5 Little Pumpkins Fingerplay

5 Little pumpkins sitting on a gate (Hold up 5 fingers).

The 1st one said "Oh my! It's getting late!" (Hold up 1 finger. Then point at a clock.)

The 2nd one said, "It's very windy out here!" (Hold up 2 fingers and move like the wind.)

The 3rd one said "But we don't care!" (Hold up 3 fingers as you do when saying I don't know.)

The 4th one said, "Let's run and run and run." (Place 4 fingers on floor and move as though they are running.)

The 5th one said "Let's have some fun." (Wave 5 fingers and arms in air as though dancing!)

WOOOOOSH went the wind. (Make a loud woosh sound.)

OUT went the lights. (Clap hand very loudly when you say OUT.)

5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight. (Make a rolling motion.)

Photos: Fran Darling fdarling fotos & Mark Nowicki

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest