Spider fact sheet
Don’t squash the spider, study it instead!~ Ann Smith
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What is a spider?
Spiders are not insects. They are however animals without
backbones and with jointed legs so belong in the same large
group.
• Insects have a body with three parts and six legs and
the adult usually has four wings. Spiders have a body
composed of two parts the cephalothorax and the
abdomen. (Children typically draw spiders with one
body part). Spiders never have wings. They never
have antennae which insects have.
•
Insects usually undergo complete or partial change
(metamorphosis) in their life cycle. Children are aware
(1) legs (2) cephalothorax (3) abdomen
of the caterpillar to butterfly transformation.
• Spiders don’t have this change. They hatch out of an
egg as a baby spider that looks just like the adult.
• Spiders have eight walking legs attached to the cephalothorax, as well as palps and fangs
near the mouth for manipulating food and injecting venom. Most children, and many adults, if
asked to draw a spider will draw the eight walking legs coming from the abdomen. If you look
carefully at a spider you will see that the legs are attached to the cephalothorax
• Most spiders have eight simple eyes.
• Insects on the other hand often have two large compound eyes.
Children are often motivated to draw spiders. If they are encouraged to draw anatomically correct
spiders they will more easily recall aspects of spider anatomy.
What is special about spiders? Why should we explore them with young children?
Spiders are a group of living things with interesting adaptations for survival. Like all living things, they
have needs for food and shelter that must be met. This is a big idea that is an important one to
introduce and reinforce with children Spiders (along with all other species) are part of an overall
balance in nature. They eat other species and are in turn are food for other animals. Spiders are very
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useful because they eat insects that could be a real problem to humans. All spiders produce web
through the spinnerets at the rear of the abdomen. This is a fascinating feature of spiders.
It is fun to observe spider webs. Some are the stereotypical wheel web but even more are tangle
webs or sheet webs. Children often do not know that only some spiders use webs to trap prey. Some
such as huntsman spiders pounce on their prey. Some spiders use a length of silk like a fishing line to
catch prey. All spiders, however, use silk in some way such as making a silk bag to protect their
eggs. Spiders only eat live prey, typically insects and other spiders. All spiders produce venom to kill
their prey. Mostly this is not potent enough to harm humans.
An important reason to explore spiders is because many children ( and adults) have a great fear of
spiders that is based not on any real threat, but is learned from observing the reactions of adults.
Many of us suffer from a fear of spiders to some degree, but it is important not to pass on our
irrational fears to children. Instead, we must aim to model a sense of wonder, caution and care. A
few species such as the Sydney Funnel Web spider can be potentially fatal. In Melbourne a spider
bite is more likely to produce local irritation and discomfort or to cause a problem because of the
bacteria from soil that the bite introduces. The Black House Spider can give a painful bite. The Red
back spider is potentially dangerous for children (though the last known death was 50 years ago).
Red back spiders live around our houses and sheds, under seats and pots etc. They make and untidy
web which they don’t often leave. The female has the characteristic red markings on the abdomen
and is bigger and much more venomous than the male.
Early childhood professional should be careful to check
equipment outdoors that has been there for sometime, and also
to model glove wearing when cleaning up areas of rubbish. There
are many small, non threatening, spiders from the playground
that children can observe for a short time. To see a spider in the
process of making and lowering itself on web is a wonderful
experience for young children. Children should not handle
spiders as a few (as mentioned above) can be dangerous and,
just as importantly, because spiders are fragile and children will
damage them. In Melbourne there are very few occasions when
killing spiders in front of the children can be justified. Spiders can
usually be just observed and left alone or removed outside.
Housing spiders in the classroom, despite what books say, is
difficult. This is mainly because spiders only eat live prey and it is
difficult to feed them. A spider can easily visit for an afternoon
housed in a jar or on a twig in the middle of a terrarium. Children
often find leaf curling spiders very appealing. These spiders use
silk to curl a leaf to make a little home to hide in on their large
wheel webs. Children may be lucky enough to see the spider’s
legs poking out of the leaf.
Resources:
The museum educational web sites in several states are a marvelous source of information for
teachers about many animals large and small.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/MelbourneMuseum/Education/Education-Kits/Bugs-Bugs-Bugs/
http://www.amonline.net.au/explore/index.cfm
http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/inquiry/factsheets/
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Ann Smith and Sue Elliot, Two EEEC members were commissioned to write the material on the
museum victoria site listed here.)
Children’s books are a great resource but many depict spiders in a very unscientific, anatomically
incorrect way.
An old but still wonderful book is Aranea by Jenny Wagner
(1975) Illustrated by Ron Brooks Published by Harmondsworth:
Kestrel Books
Another is One Hungry Spider by Jeanie Baker. (1982) A
counting book. Published by Ashton Scholastic.
Once children are familiar with the correct scientific features
then other popular children’s books can be read and the
differences discussed. One such series that can be contrasted
on this level, while enjoyed on an imaginative level is the Little
Miss Spider Series.
Art activities can be good to reinforce spider concepts. These could include gluing scrap wool on to
paper to make a tangle web and adding a drawing of a spider. Gluing a leaf to a spider web drawing
would give a Leaf Curling spider somewhere to live. Gluing a little tree bark to used card and adding
a huntsman drawing will reinforce the fact that these spiders live
under the bark of trees.
Children can “make
a spider” by putting
together
the
various parts of a
spider body made
out of felt or card –
perhaps
by
“winning”
the
pieces by throwing
a coloured dice.
Children can walk
along non sticky parts of a “web” to get to another
part of the play room or playground.
Finally: Observe spiders and their webs whenever
possible. Don’t think only of big beautiful wheel webs. Search for tiny spiders in flowers or in small
scraps of tangle webs in corners or in bushes. Spiders themselves are often hard to see. They often
hide in or off their webs. Model respect by not breaking down the web. Explain to children that the
spider needs it to catch its food.
Exploring spiders with young children is a rewarding experience.
Spiders are important animals!
Spiders are special!