Learn Together

Exploring wildlife and nature with children helps them develop a sense of wonderment and appreciation for life on Earth.

Materials

  • Computer, tablet, or phone to watch the videos

Imagine Together

Let’s learn more about our friend the spider! Most spiders are not dangerous to humans. They live on land, but a few, like the raft spider, live in and on water!

Spiders are found everywhere in the world except for the cold polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. Perhaps this has something to do with their size. Some spiders are really itsy bitsy like the patu digua spider of Colombia. Some records show that they may be the smallest spider in the world, reaching 0.37 millimeters.

Spiders are known as arachnids because they only have two body segments instead of three, like insects. Some spiders, such as the tarantula, are considered great pets. Before you go run out and get a tarantula, why don’t we start off by creating our own spider buddy using art materials and items we have around our home!

  • Follow along with the CMOM at Home Backpack Buddy Activity to make your spider buddy. You can choose to use more spider-like colors, like browns and blacks, and add extra-long materials like string, pipe cleaners, or yarn to create your eight-legged friend.

Spiders spin webs to catch other bugs to eat, but not all spiders make webs! It can take a spider about 60 minutes to spin a web. The silk strands in a web are 5 times stronger than a piece of steel the same size— but could a spider’s web hold the weight of an elephant?

  • Enjoy a reading and sing-along with CMOM Educators as they read “Little Elephants/Elefantitos” by Susie Jaramillo. In this story, we will sing in Spanish and English as we count elephants jumping on a spider’s web!