Make A Spider Play Dough Printable Mat Game
Teach your kids fun spider facts and let them learn about spider anatomy with this spider play dough printable mat game!
Spiders might give you the creeps, but they are actually really interesting creatures and kids are usually fascinated by them. From their web-spinning skills to their eight legs to their multiple eyes, spiders are a great for teaching kids about the diversity of life that can be found in nature.
Lets start by learning about the basics of spider anatomy.
Parts Of A Spider
The anatomy, or body, of each animal gives it the ability to survive in it’s environment. All creatures have special adaptations that let them move, find food, and escape predators. The body of a spider is no different. It has very special and unique parts that set it apart and ensure it’s survival.
Spider Legs
One of the first things to teach kids about spiders is that they are not insects. Spiders are arachnids. One way we can tell arachnids from insects is by counting their legs. Spiders and other arachnids (like scorpions, ticks, and daddy longlegs) have eight legs, while insects (like flies, beetles, and butterflies) have only six legs.
Spider Body
Another difference between insects and spiders is that insects have three parts to their bodies (head, abdomen, and thorax), while spider bodies consist of two parts (head and abdomen). The legs of the spider connect to the abdomen, as do the spinnerets that produce the spider’s web.
Spider Eyes
Almost all spider species have eight eyes. A few have less. Since spider eyes can’t move around like human eyes, eight eyes are necessary for spiders to see all around them. Even with all these eyes, the overall eyesight of spiders is very poor.
If you want to learn even more about spiders, visit this Hands-On Spider Unit Study post for great ideas and resources.
Spider Play Dough Printable Game
Now that you and your kids have learned a bit about the anatomy of a spider, let’s have some fun building spiders of your own! First, let the kids use play dough to create a few spiders of their own based on their own experiences with spiders or from pictures found online or in books.
Next, download this free spider play dough printable mat game. Print out as many copies as you have players and compete to see who can build their spider first!
How To Get Your Play Dough Printable
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