Homeschool Diaries :: Spider Unit (+ Free Printable)

Homeschool Diaries :: Spider Unit (+ Free Printable)

• 3.15.2021

hey y'all, happy monday -- today I thought I'd share a more in-depth look at the spider unit we did the other week. I like to pull resources from all over the place and curate a mini-unit to help guide the lesson. I'm not the kind of person to stick to one set curriculum because my boys are still super little and their attention spans aren't fit for page by page curriculum. So, I try my best to cater to everyone's learning style especially when two of my students are under the age of three. 

One of the first things I do as an introduction to the weekly lesson / nature unit is to create a habitat sensory bin / tray for the boys to explore. It really gets them pumped up for the whole unit and allows for them to start formulating questions and areas they want to learn about in the coming days. 

Next, we grabbed our Big Book of Bugs and took a look at some spider facts. I love giving them their little magnifying glasses and let them take a closer look at the pictures of spiders as I read the text. I prompt them to find the spider picture that a specific fact is referring to. It's one of their favorite parts of the lesson. 

Other Books We Read In This Unit 

▣ The Brilliant Book of Bugs

▣ The Encyclopedia of Animals

▣ Nature Anatomy 

▣ Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature

Then my goal was to focus on the different type of spiders and their life cycle. I got a spider nature study off of Etsy from Stephanie Hathway's shop because her art is absolutely gorgeous. In addition to the study, I purchased several spiders from Safari Ltd because my boys are hands-on learners. 

Extra Tools 

▣ Black Widow 

▣ Tarantula 

▣ Life Cycle Tray :: the one I own is no longer being sold by the small shop I bought it from, but another one of my all-time favorite shops (Jack and Link) came out with their very own version of the life cycle board and I love it. That's the board I linked because I would purchase -- it's double-sided!

▣ Life Cycle Figureines

Next, I took the flashcards from the spider nature study and cut them out. Then, I created a spider web printable that showcased all kinds of webs. I had the boys pick their favorite spiders and we glued them to the web while talking about spider body parts, the kinds of webs they spin, and where you can find them. 

I'd love to share that printable with y'all. 

If you'd like to use it, you can find it at the end of this blog post -- scroll down to right-click, save and print! 

I also had the boys create their own spidey friend. We decorated the spiders with markers, glitter, and sequins and used colorful pipe cleaners as legs and googly eyes to bring them to life. They were so proud of their little spidey friends and couldn't wait to hang it up on our school work board! 

I love wrapping up the week with a fun craft because we can admire it all weekend. Our school workboard is placed in the kitchen, so we always see + walk by it. I often refer to the work on the board and ask the boys to tell me what they remember about what we learned the past week. It's also a great conversation piece when guests and family members come to visit. 

But, yah! that's a wrap to our spider unit. I like to keep things fairly simple and easy as I have three little pairs of hands that always want to get to the next part of the lesson. 

About That Free Printable 

so here is that web printable that I was telling you about / you saw pictured above. 

if you'd like to save this and use it in your own spider units -- right-click, save to desktop, and print. please note that this print is for my readers and is not meant to be sold / redistributed; personal use only, please.

if you do end up using this print, don't forget to snap a picture and tag me on @mainlymarta / @theschoolingsquares on Instagram.