Published by: Digital Schools

The Amazing Spider - Kids Activity

Spiders for some are the stuff of bad dreams; they are hairy, look quite weird have big eyes, long hairy legs, and the worst part they bite!. But spiders aren’t as bad as we think they are. For the most part, spiders are shy; they go about their business of catching other bugs, raising their young and making beautiful webs that challenge the laws of physics. 

Most spiders are so tiny we would hardly notice their existence – and yet they have such a massive impact on our surrounding environment. Spiders are part of the web of life, (pardon the pun) for a reason. Without spiders we would be drowning in insects and mosquitos would probably rule the world.

 

Too Much Fun!

The more you learn about something the less strange and unfamiliar it becomes.

To get a little closer to our eight legged friends, there is a fun creative activity where you can build your own ‘Amazing Spider’. Find your own spider and laods of differnt shoes, eyes, hats and smiles to choose from.

What You Will Need

  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • 1hr

Cool stuff on spiders

  • Spiders are not insects they are arachnids. Arachnids have eight legs whereas insects have six. Spiders also do not have wings or antennae-like most insects do.
  • Most spiders are only a few millimetres in size and live their life in the undergrowth of meadows, forests and wetlands.
  • No one has died from a spider bite in Australia for at least 30 years.
  • Bees are more dangerous to humans than spiders because a bee sting can cause a nasty reaction in some people that can be life-threatening and sometimes fatal.
  • Did you know some species of spiders live their entire lives underwater?. They do it by collecting tiny air bubbles from the hairs on their bodies and pushing them together to make a bubble to pop inside.
  • Without spiders, we would be drowning in insects. Spiders do an incredible job in keeping insect populations to a healthy minimum, and for every sq kilometres, spiders catch around 400 million insects. That equates to approximately 600 million tons of insects each year, which is around the same amount of meat humans worlwide eat each year. 
  • Using insect sprays to kill spiders and insects is poisonous to you too and killing animals of any kind disrupts the delicate balance of nature.
  • It is unhealthy to use chemicals in and around your home as the chemicals end up in our food and drinking water, pollute waterways and damage the natural environment.

Guest Contributor: Emily Rack
Business Name: Horatios Jar
Publisher: Digital Schools

Emily Rack is a yoga teacher, meditation instructor, freelance writer and visual content creator. She incorporates a unique creative flair into her yoga and meditation classes, courses and workshops. Emily hosts events and classes in schools and the wider community & is passionate about teaching the art of mindfulness.