Create a climbing spider for Halloween

Create this climbing spider craft with the kids to get ready for Halloween.

You know that song about the “itsy bitsy spider,” right? This craft project is an opportunity to bring that tale to life this Halloween. With some very simple materials, you can make a spider that really “climbs” (and maybe learn a thing or two about basic science principles at the same time).

Instructions 

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1. Begin by creating your creepy crawler. You can print a picture of a spider from the Internet (we used the free spider coloring page image from bigactivities.com) or simply draw a picture of a spider.
2. Either way, carefully cut out the outline of the spider. This project will work best if the spider looks like it would if you were standing directly above it. We traced our spider shape onto a piece of black construction paper and attached two craft eyes to give our critter some dimension.
3. Glue your spider to a piece of heavyweight paper or lightweight cardboard if you are concerned about the paper ripping while in use.
4. Once you have your spider set to go, flip it over and tape two straw pieces (each about 1-inch long) in the middle. Next, tape two pennies to the bottom of your picture. This extra weight will help your spider “climb” better.
5. Thread a long piece of yarn or string through the straws, creating a loop at the top and leaving the ends hanging down evenly. Tie a large knot at the bottom of each end of the yarn so they don’t slip back through the straws. The string needs to be long enough so that it can hang on a doorknob with the ends touching the ground.
6. To make your spider climb, hang it from a doorknob and pull the strings. Pull the strings from side to side so they make contact with the inside of the straws and watch your creepy crawler slowly inch upwards.You can experiment with different techniques for making your spider climb. When you drop the yarn, your critter will zoom back down to the bottom, ready for another climb.

Materials

• A long piece of string or yarn for each spider (about 3feet long)
• Plastic drinking straws cut into1-inch pieces
• Scotch tape
• Pennies
• Pieces of heavyweight paper or thin cardboard or construction paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Craft eyes (optional)