August Kids’ Corner
from the Gale River Cooperative Preschool
Fun Outdoors for Kids of all Ages!
Whether you see them on the ground in the morning, between the eaves and your house, or in your bedroom corner, spider webs (and their spiders) are everywhere! When insects are out and about, so are the spiders looking for a delicious meal.
All spiders can make silk, though only 85% of spiders use the webs to catch food. The silk is a liquid inside their bodies then is passed through the spinneret and becomes solid silk when exposed to air. Spiders use silk for lots of different things. Many spiders keep a “dragline” going which keeps track of where they’ve been. They can quickly move away from predators then follow their dragline back up to their web for example. Spiders also use their silk to cocoon their eggs and baby spiders will send a line of thread up in the air to be blown away in search of a new place to live. When spiders do weave webs to catch insects, there are a couple different types including a sheet web, a funnel web, a bowl web and an orb web.
Webs are both a wise use of energy because the spider can wait for the food to come to them, but also cost a lot of energy to make. Many spiders will make a web daily because of damage done to the previous web from weather or insects caught in it. They will also eat the leftover silk to regain some of the energy. When a spider is waiting for their prey, they will usually head to a corner of the web and keep one leg on a signal thread. When they feel a vibration that’s just right (not a light breeze or a huge shake) they will rush out to bite their prey. This paralyzes the prey and begin the process of liquifying the insides of the insect. The spider will wrap up the prey in silk as they wait for the inside to be liquid so they can drink it up.
Whether you’re a spider fan or they’re far from your favorite, their unique abilities and web weaving skills are something to be admired.
Want tips on how to explore spiders this August? We’ve got you covered!
Going on a web hunt is a fun way to see up close the architecture these critters create. Take a moment to brainstorm where a spider would spin its web and why, then think up some spots nearby. On the grass, around houses, or in the forest with lots of low and close branches are good spots to check. Try and see if you can find all four types of webs.
Can you build a spiderweb? While we don’t have the spinnerets and silk making skills of spiders, we can use yarn or string to mimic it. Find a spot with lots of branches and see if you can weave a web. One of the more common kinds is an orb web which looks like spokes coming to a center spot and a spiral out from the center but yours can look however you want.
Interested in spider activities and crafts?
A fun gross motor balancing game is a spider web walk. Tape or lay down rope to make a spiderweb shape on the floor then add little insects along it. Your child becomes the spider and has to tightrope walk the web and pick up all the insects to eat.
Spider snack time! Spiders have a very distinct and simple body that makes it easy to replicate. They have a head, an abdomen and 8 legs. Turning them into a snack is a fun and hands on way to explore their body! You could make it sweet with a marshmallow body and pretzel stick legs or healthier with round slices of fruit and veggie sticks!
Thanks to our partner, the Gale River Cooperative Preschool in Bethlehem, for helping our area parents get kiddos outside for fun no matter the time of year.
