Toddler Tuesday: Itsy Bitsy and a Spider Craft

Your toddler may or may not be interested in searching for spider webs because they can be hard for kids this age to see and appreciate.  If they aren’t here are a couple of other ideas to get them started learning about spiders.  When researching for this week’s activities, I found a great new version of Itsy-Bitsy that helps to reinforce the body parts lessons that we have introduced earlier in the month.

"A New Itsy-Bitsy Spider"
The itsty-bitsy spider
Crawled up on (Name)'s head.
He crawled all around, then used it for a bed.
He crawled down (his/her) back
and jumped down to the floor.
Then the itsy-bitsy spider
Crawled underneath the door.

http://www.twigglemagazine.com/August-activities/miss-bindergaten-gets-ready-for-kindergarten-literacy-lesson.html

 For some reason, my toddler thinks this is hilarious.  It may be the part where I make the spider crawl all over his head.

Spider web craft:

Materials:  8.5X11  Black Paper

                    White Washable Paint - acrylic paint 
                     would work better than fingerpaint.

                   1-2 Marbles  (Choking hazard alert -make sure
                   they don't go in the mouth)

                  Cake Pan

I love this craft because little ones can have great results .  Place the black paper in the bottom of the cake pan.  The parent should dip the marble in white paint and place it in the cake pan.  Then allow your toddler to roll the marble back and forth until you are happy with the look of the spider web. 

Spider Handprint Keepsake Craft:  I love handprint crafts and this is a cute one.

Materials:  Paper

      Black(or other spider color) Washable Paint

      Paint Brush

Paint the palm and fingers of one hand,  being careful to avoid the thumbs.   Press it to the paper.  Wipe that hand off, and repeat with the other hand overlapping the palm so that the palms are the spider’s body and the fingers are each of the 8 legs.  Add eyes however you wish (most spiders have at least 8).  Make sure to label and date your handprint spiders.

We actually combined the two crafts together at my house making bright neon green spiders sitting on our marble painted spider webs (or in our case acorn  painted since I don't think we have marbles :  ) )

The Not-So Scary Spider Search and Web Preservation

The strong fear of spiders that many people have makes them a natural part of the Halloween festivities.  My children have been noticing decorative webs all around our neighborhood.  How about yours?   This week, we will be looking for the real life spiders all around us.  Now I know that this may not be high on your to-do list.   Believe me, though I can tolerate and appreciate spiders, I would not be at all happy to have one land on me.  I certainly was very unhappy when our movers found a black widow in our air hockey table during our recent move (He actually seemed pretty excited about it).    However, spiders are literally all around us and it is a wonderful gift to our children to teach them to respect rather than fear these amazing creatures.  One great way to do that is to appreciate the beauty of the webs that they produce to catch their prey.

Parent Background Guide   

One of the most feared animals in the world is also one of its most common.   There are more than 40,000 different kinds of spiders and they live in every climate of the Earth except for Antarctica.  All spiders have 8 legs, breath air, and are venomous.    Spiders are born knowing how to spin their webs.  Spiders produce the silk thread that they use to construct their webs and can make the silk thick, thin, dry, sticky, smooth, or beaded.  The webs look delicate, but at stronger than nylon.  They eat by injecting stomach enzymes into their prey and then sucking out the insides of the organisms.  Spiders do this because their bodies are too narrow to take in solid nutrition.  Spiders have a variety of ways of catching pray, some spin webs and wait for pray to be caught and other hunt their prey actively.   Spiders typically do not bite unless they are threated, and our fear of spider bites is greatly exaggerated.  In the 20^th century only 100 people are known to have died of spider bites (1500 died from Jelly Stings), the majority of spider bites do not produce even as strong a reaction as that of a mosquito.  While the venom of a few species is harmful to humans, scientists are currently testing spider venoms for use in medicines and as non-polluting pesticides.  Most types of spiders live alone.  Males are typically smaller than females and must avoid being eaten by the females in order to survive to mate again.  Females spin an egg case and can lay as many as 100 eggs.  In many types of spiders the females care for the young, either by carrying them or feeding them.   Most spiders live less than two years, but a few species have been reported to live more than 25 years.

My little scientists displaying thier preserved webs.

This week’s activity

Materials The following optional materials can to find and get a closer look at spider webs.  

          Spray bottle of water

          Flashlight for peering into dark spaces.

Discovery time: I know that none of you fabulous ladies (or gentleman) has spider webs in your homes or outdoor spaces as I did so I would suggest going to a public park to look for spider webs. Underneath playground equipment is an easily accessible and very common place to find spider webs within a child line-of-sight. Spritzing webs with water helps to make them more visible. Some of the following questions might stimulate your child to think about what they are seeing: What does the spider web look like? Where do spiders like to build their webs? Did you find any broken webs? How do you think they got broken? Do they look easy to make or like they took a lot of work? Do you think they are pretty (interesting etc)? 

Crafty Fun: Preserving Spider Webs

One of our preserved spider webs.

It is sometimes difficult for children to see close up and appreciate the pattern of a spider web. With the following technique you can capture and preserve an empty web.

Materials

Talcum Powder (or Cornstarch)

Hairspray

Black or other dark construction paper or cardstock (needs to be sturdy).

Instructions: Find an empty web by delicately tapping on a strand. If the spider is sitting on the web you should see it move. Once you find an unoccupied web, spray it with hairspray. Then have your children dust it all over with talcum powder or cornstarch. Next spray the black paper with the hairspray and gently push the paper through the web. You should have the web perfectly preserved for close examination.

Tying it together: If you have done both activities, your children have gotten the chance to explore spider webs both up close and in nature as well. When you find spiders in your environment ask your children about their webs. If you see spider web decorations around you, ask how they look different from real spiders. Some other fun spider crafts and activities can be found on: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/spiders.shtml.

Fun Facts

· Most spiders have four pairs of eyes.

· Jumping spiders can jump up to 50 times their own length.

· Hummingbirds use the silk from spider webs to weave together sticks for their nests.

· Spiders eat more insects than birds and bats combined.

Extension

Watch Charlotte’s web for some lovely animation on how webs are made as well as some feel good friendship for this most feared of all bugs. The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle is also a great resource and can be checked out from just about any library.

Going on a Bug Hunt!

Creepy crawlies are all around us all the time, but they are very visible in decorations at this time of year.    Incidentally this is also a wonderful time to look for bugs before they seek warmer homes for the winter.   This activity could take 15 minutes of a few hours depending on how much fun you are having.  I will also include some directions in case you want to bring some temporary “friends” into your house for a couple days of observation in the extension section.  The true goal of this exercise is to encourage your children to explore, to tell you what they find, and to get excited about making observations.  Learning about bugs is a wonderful side-effect.  The ability to get excited about finding animals is the biggest prerequisite of this activity; as such it is great for both preschoolers and toddlers so there will be no toddler Tuesday this week.

A pillbug found under a stepping stone.

A word about this exploration:  Many times parents find bugs to be scary or uncomfortable, but children are born finding them fascinating.  I am thankfully not afraid of bugs, my fear is snakes.  My four year old daughter loves them and I just want to be as far away as possible.  I hope that she has no idea how much I do not like them.  When she asks if I think they are pretty, I tell her that they are amazing creatures, but not my favorite.   As a parent, I think that it is very hard, but important to keep from passing on our discomfort to our children.   I would suggest that if insects make you uncomfortable you make sure to use paintbrushes (and perhaps even garden gloves) as suggested in the materials so that you do not have to touch the bugs.  Also remember that some insects do sting or bite, be cautious about what you let your children pick up but know that most insects in the United States are not aggressive so long as children do not pick them up or touch them (except wasps, fire ants, scorpions, and killer bees which you want to stay away from).

Parent Background Guide   

This week we are focusing on organisms that have external skeletons called exoskeletons rather than the internal skeletons that have been our focus of the last two weeks.  During this exploration you will encounter many different types of animals with your children.  “Bug” is a general term.  More specifically you might find the following types of animals:

Insects – animals with 6 legs including ants, bees, beetles, praying mantis, crickets, butterflies, and an infinitely large variety of other organisms.
Arachnids –animals with 8 legs including Spiders, Scorpions, and Ticks
Crustaceans – Pill Bugs, shrimp, lobsters (easy to find under concrete items like stepping stones and borders).
You are also likely to find Molluscs – slugs and snails that are not considered bugs.

This week’s activity

Materials

All materials are optional as the most important part of this exploration is really a willingness to have fun. 
Paintbrushes to sort through leaves and brush away dirt. (I got 3/$1 at Dollar Tree)
Hand magnifying glasses to get a good look.
A camera to “collect” your finds.
Long pants and bug spray if mosquitos and ticks are still a risk in your area.
Discovery time:   
Today’s activity is really about just going outside and looking around.  The following places are great places to find bugs:  flowers, piles of leaves, on the bark of trees, taller grasses, underneath slides and walkways, yellow components of playgrounds, be sure to look under rocks and stepping stones.  As you are looking at the bugs it is a great opportunity to just follow your child’s lead.  Go at their pace, and help them to look where they would like to look, giving suggestions. Take pictures of their finds and let them tell you what they see. 

Tying it together:   

After coming back into the house, I asked my kids to tell me the favorite thing that they found and the thing that was most surprising to them.  We also talked about the fact that there were a lot of different bugs, and that there were lots and lots of differences.

If you or your children are curious about specific insects the following websites are great for identifying what you have found: 

Bug Guide   http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
Insect Identification for the Casual Observer  http://www.insectidentification.org/

Fun Facts

A beetle found under leaves.

Ø  While gathering food, a bee may fly up to 60 miles in one day.
Ø  Ants can lift and carry more than fifty times their own weight.

Ø  Only female mosquitoes bite human.  Male mosquitoes live on plant juices and decomposing organic material.

Ø  Beetles account for one quarter of all known species of plants and animals. There are more kinds of beetles than all plants.

Extension

Our houseguests!

Rolli Polli Pet –   Armadillidiidae also called Pill Bugs or Rolli-Pollies are very easy to find and to care for in your home.  We are currently entertaining 6 pill bug house guests for the weekend.  Pill bugs do not bite, and will not infest your home.  Care and setup is very simple.  A large glass jar is the perfect home for a pill bug.  Their needs are simple.  Place a layer of moist (not wet) soil in the bottom of the jar.  Also include some small twigs, dead leaves, and if you will be keeping them for a long period of time a small piece of concrete (which they need to eat in small amounts to aid in digestion).   You will want to feed them small amounts of uneaten vegetable matter or dead leaves.  You can give them a variety of different things and your children can see which things they prefer.  Also make sure to mist the jar with water to keep it humid, but not wet.  If you live in a climate that becomes cold, make sure to return your pill bugs to the outside before the ground gets too hard to borough or you can keep them until spring.  Pill bugs can live 2-3 years.  For more information see:  http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/INVERT1/Pillbu1.htm.