Pricky Ball Spiders

This is an easy peasy spider to make.  I discuss the difference between a spider and an insect.  The children count out 8 legs for their spider.  Additionally,  we discuss how many eyes a spider has - (between 4-8 eyes).  What you will need:  sweet gum balls, black pipe cleaners, googly eyes and artist's heavy gel medium (thick paste to use as glue).  For the web you will need:  a paper plate and yarn.

 Step One:  Each child gets eight pipe cleaner legs (pipe cleaner cut in a half), a sweet gum ball and a bit of heavy gel medium to dip the pipe cleaner into.

 Step Two:  Dip the end of the pipe cleaner into the gel medium.  Poke pipe cleaner into one of the sweet gum ball holes.

 Step Three:  Bend the leg to look like a spider leg.

 Sweet gum balls or prickly balls are bountiful this time of year.

 The gel medium will dry clear.

 Looks like he could drop on our heads, huh?  Yikes!

 Making the web:  Prepare the paper plates by cutting slits around the edge and cutting yarn.  I tape the yarn to the back of the paper plate with a piece of masking tape.

The children weave the yarn back and forth across the plate to create a "web."