spider webs

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Home : 2002 : September : 15

spider webs
By Susan

Janine,

A third grade teacher gave me this idea last year. I think she got it from a Mailbox publication. I did one myself first; it helped me work out the kinks before I explained how to do it to the kids (I did not show
them my prototype because I wanted each of them to have the fun of inventing from scratch). The kids LOVED this project; one child (who had a very rough fall last year) said it was his "best project ever." We decorated our door with the finished webs.
Materials: white paper plates (one for each child); hole punch; Scotch tape; multi-foot lengths of black yarn (if you make a prototype,

you'll get a sense of how long is long enough for your kids to handle at once).

Ahead of time, punch holes going around the outside of the plates (this took me quite a while, but it was easy enough). Put the holes far enough in so that they won't tear through.

Help each child thread a piece of yarn in through one of the holes and anchor it to the back with Scotch tape. Each web is created by stretching the yarn across the plate and threading it through a hole across from where you started, then bringing the yarn back out through another hole and continuing to weave the web. Keep doing this until you have a web that pleases you or you run out of yarn. Some kids were happy with a web created with less yarn than I had given them. Some kids wanted additional yarn. The ends are anchored to the back with more Scotch tape.

I was amazed at the variety and inventiveness of patterns the kids came up with. I was also surprised that some of the kids with the best handwriting had a harder time with this, while some kids who could barely write created some of the most esthetically pleasing work with great ease. It gave me a very different piece of information about each of them.

It's good to have a few more adults to help you with this. This is a good time to ask for parent volunteers! If you can't get that, anchor the yarn in place before you hand the kids their plates.

Have fun!

Susan