The fall season is typically cooler and many of us associate the shift in weather with changing leaves, pumpkins and creepy crawlers. This craft gives kids a chance to make their own eight-legged creatures with popsicle sticks and cotton balls. By creating a fun, cute version of a bug that’s scary to many kids, it can help familiarize and demystify the creature.
Here’s what you need: Popsicle sticks, black cotton balls, googly eyes, yarn and glue. Scissors to cut the yarn should be used by an adult.
Step 1: Build the web by gluing two popsicles sticks crisscross in an X shape. Then glue a third popsicle stick across the middle of the X. It should look like an asterisk (*).
Step 2: Instruct the children to weave yarn through legs of the popsicle sticks, going around and across, however they choose.
Step 3: Kids can now create their spider as big or small as they choose. Glue together the black mini cotton balls to create the body. Glue as many eyes as you want on the body. Then glue on the spider or tie it in with yarn. All done
You may want to share some spider facts with kids:
- Spiders can see what we cannot
- Some tarantulas fling hair at predators
- Spiders can work together to build large community webs
- Spiders can create a net with their web between their legs to catch prey
- Ants can be spiders in disguise
Find more information on the Smithsonian website.
