Spiders, Bats, and Pumpkins, Day One

October is one of my favorite months in preschool land! There are so many fun things that you can do this time of year. I always start with bats and spiders, then finish off with pumpkins, since pumpkins go along with Halloween and Thanksgiving…I usually teach the pumpkin theme the last week of October and extend it into the first week of November.

For day one, read a book telling facts about spiders. Of course, you have to sing “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” this week! Use your classroom graph* to have your students vote about whether they like spiders or not. You could print a spider pattern onto a small piece of paper for each student, write their names on their paper, and have them stick it to the graph with tape, or just write each student’s name on a Post-it.

For fine motor today, you will make a 3-D spider. Obtain a paper egg carton ahead of time (foam will not work, because the paint won’t stick). Cut a cup out for each student and punch 4 wholes into opposite sides of the cups. Have the students paint the cups black, thread black pipe cleaners through the holes (to make eight legs), and glue on googly eyes. When they have dried, you can hang them from the ceiling or stick them onto a classroom web.

For art, have the students dip white yarn into glue and lay it on black construction paper in crazy patterns. When they are done, they can stick a black pompon onto the “web.” When it is dry, it will look like a spider in a web!