Making a Spider's Web
This lesson developed by Reach Out!
Recommended Age: Preschool and Early Elementary
Question?
How can I make a spider's web?
What you need:
- Have someone cut a piece of 1/2 inch plywood into a 12 by 12 inch square.
- Nails
- Hammer
- String or fishing line
- Felt pen
- Can of laundry spray starch
- Scissors
- Newspaper
What you do:
- First, with your felt pen, mark spots on the suare board where you would like to put some nails.
- Carefully use a hammer and pound a nail into each mark you made. You may want some help so you don't hurt a finger!
- Take long pieces of string and wrap around the nails. You might find you make a specific design, or you may find you have a pretty random kind of web!
- Keep going with pieces of string until you like the web you have created.
- When you are done, lay your board on a piece of newspaper.
- Shake your can of spray starch and then spray your web.
- Leave it alone so it can dry.
- When it is dry, carefully use the hammer to pull out each nail. Again, you may want some help. You have a spider's web!
What is
happening?
Spiders have what we call abdominal spinnerets that make silk for cocoons and webs. You have made something like a spider's web with your string. Whenever you see a spider's web, stop and take a good look at it. Usually they have a very clear design
to them and a pattern to their form. You may want to try making other spider webs with more of a pattern in mind.