Storytime: Spiders

Discussion Questions:

We are meeting a friend in our stories today who has many more legs than we have on our bodies! How many legs do you have? (expected answers were 2 or 1, but some Tuesday kids answered 4... Be sure you count together!) Does anyone know how many legs spider have?  Let's count together... (Use photo or stuffed animal version of spider to count all 8 legs.)

Story: Bear's Scare by Jacob Grant*

Bear likes to keep everything tidy so when he discovers sticky spider webs in his home, he searches high and low to remove this unwanted guest. When his carelessness in searching causes him to hurt a (stuffed) friend, he discovers that spiders aren't messy... just different from him!

The kids were SILENT when I turned the page to reveal Bear accidentally tearing the arm of his beloved stuffed animal. I didn't leave them in suspense for long and let them see how the spider mends the arm with her sticky webbing.  Overall, a fantastic book with an easy lesson and many great opportunities for "I Spy" on each page for the spider.

Fingerplay: Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout 
Down came the rain and washed the spider out 
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain 
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again 
Variation: Great big hairy spider

Fingerplay: Five Hungry Ants (credit to KCLS) - Monday Storytime

Five hungry ants marching in a line, 
Came upon a picnic where they could dine. 
They marched into the salad, 
They marched into the cake, 
They marched into the pepper… Uh oh! 
That was a mistake! A..a..a..choo! 

Four hungry ants marching in a line… (etc)

Clapping/Movement Rhyme: Sticky Bubble Gum 

Sticky, sticky, sticky bubble gum 
Bubble gum 
Bubble gum 
Sticky, sticky, sticky bubble gum 
Is sticking on my (body part). 

Count to three and pull hands up! Gum gets stuck in two more places (repeat!).

Story: Walter's Wonderful Web: A First Book About Shapes by Tim Hopgood*

This title has several great components for a storytime crowd.  Hopgood's illustrations are big, bold, and beautiful!  There is also the repetitive use of onomatopoeia (WHOOSH!) for the wind for easy interaction, and the readily recognizable shapes on each page.  The story itself is simple and sweet, making it a perfect ending book for an active audience.

Craft: Spider Web Weaving (based on PBS craft idea)

You will need:

• Small paper plates with pre-cut notches
• Yarn (about 5 feet in length for each child)
• Spiders (stickers, foam shapes, plastic rings, etc.)

Kids were able to "weave" their own web by wrapping their yarn around the paper plate, nestling it into notches for a strong design.  This is good practice in using fine motor skills and the results are stunning!

*Links for books are to Amazon; I am not affiliated with the company.