Hands-on Spider activities for Kids and Teaching Resources
Try these fun hands-on spider activities for kids and teaching resources.
Fall brings spiders out in force around here. There are orb weavers outside my front door spinning huge intricate webs right now. I am just leaving them up and calling them Halloween decorations. (Here’s a fun Halloween science experiment for you to try!)
While I find them fascinating when I am studying them through my window, I am not such a fan when there is nothing separating me from them. But, I still want my kids to learn about them and appreciate their unique anatomy and characteristics. I want that for your kids, too. Use the fun facts and activities in this post to actually have fun with spiders!
Fun Spider Facts
- Spiders are not insects. They are arachnids.
- Spiders have 8 legs.
- Most spider species have 8 eyes. The others have less.
- Spiders can be beneficial in the garden, because they eat harmful insects such as aphids and beetles.
- There are over 40,000 known species of spiders in the world.
- Most spiders spin spider webs to capture prey for food. Other spiders hunt their prey.
- Female spiders can lay up to 3,000 eggs at one time.
- Wolf spiders carry their babies on their backs.
- The Giant Huntsman spider is the largest spider in the world with a legspan of up to 1 foot.
Hands-On Spider Unit Study Activities
- Chalk Pastel Spider Tutorial. This is actually what kicked off our spider study. Draw, paint, or trace a spider.
- Make A Spider Play Dough Mat Game
- Spider Web Game. Create a duct tape web in a hallway and let the kids throw paper towels at the “web” to mimic insects that might get caught in a spider web.
- Make Your Own Spider Web. I love the idea of using sticks and string to let kids create their own webs.
- Spider Animal Classification. This is definitely one of my favorite notebooking pages from The Notebooking Fairy, I have this saved as a bookmark. Animal Classification sheet is perfect for older learners.
- Spider Snack. You don’t have to wait for Halloween to enjoy a spider snack. These Oreo and pretzel spiders are just as fun for the kids to make as they are to eat!
Other Spider Resources
*affiliate links
- National Geographic Readers: Spiders
- The Very Busy Spider
- DK Readers L3: Spiders’ Secrets
- Big Book of Bugs
- Smithsonian Handbooks: Insects (Smithsonian Handbooks)
- Spider Unit Study Resource Pinterest Board