In this post, I walk through a spider-themed day in my classroom consisting of song, art, and sensory that boosts growing connections! What better way to link one of their favorite songs to a fun Halloween craft and sensory activity!
I’ll admit, I had my kiddos concerned when I told them we were about to play with spiders. Emotions ranged from nervousness to…
…whatever this is 😀
but I think she warmed up to the idea.
Other friends needed no encouragement…
…she really knows how to have a good time! 😀
It’s a very simple sensory table – and you can get it all at the dollar store or walmart for less than $3! Just a bag of spider webs and a bag of spider rings = hours of sensory play!
We sang Itsy Bitsy Spider as the sensory play continued (btw anyone else teach them to applaud the spider for trying again? 😀 We always add a cheer at the end for that resilient little guy) – then to really tie it all together, I took them one by one to paint Itsy Bitsy Spiders with their hands!
Connections are super important – their developing brains are all about connections! The more you can link what you are teaching them with every interaction or activity, the more their brains will grow and expand each concept, learning how the words they are hearing connect with what they are seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting etc.
So by having them experience this spider sensory while creating spider art helps make the connection of “what I just created is like what I just experienced!” And the concept grows!!!
Back to the itsy bitsies 😀
Super simple – only paint the 4 fingers (unless you want 10 legged spiders 😉 )
You can use one or both hands – just know that if you choose to use only one hand the spider will be less symmetrical because the order of fingers will be reversed (personally, it would bother me lol I’m weird, it’s ok)
After they’d done their handprints, I announced for all to hear “Look at so-and-so’s spider! How many spider legs does it have?” and counted to add in a math factor! I did this with 10 kids today – you better believe they were masters at counting to 8 by the end of the activity 😉
To finish draw in some beautiful webbing…
…add the highly versatile googly eye…
…and top off with whatever cutesy phrase you desire!
You can also give him a little smile with a metallic marker or tiny bit of white paint.
I hope you enjoyed this itsy bitsy post…
…as much as she enjoyed taking this picture 😀
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