The Very Busy Spider Free Unit Study

Your preschooler can arrange and rearrange 9 blocks to form the characters from five different Eric Carle "Very" books: The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Lonely Firefly, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, and The Very Busy Spider plus a friendly sun.

Hide and Seek with the Fly
Have your young student find the fly on each 2 page spread of The Very Busy Spider

Nursery Rhyme – Drama
Little Miss Muffet (this is a fun one to act out; you can take turns being Miss Muffet and the spider--you can even use some small props like a plastic bowl, plastic spoon, eight legs (for the spider), bow in the hair (for Miss Muffet). When the "spider" frightens Miss Muffet, "she" can throw her bowl and spoon up in the air!

Little Miss Muffet Mini Book from Nellie Edge

Language Arts (Memory Game/Listmaking)
Use the animals in the book for a memory game with your young child (after you read, see how many animals he can remember; this will develop reading comprehension skills). Or, let your older child write the list (from memory or using the book).
Horse
Cow
Sheep
Goat
Pig
Cat
Duck
Rooster
Owl

Language Arts: Poetry
In Eric Carle's book of poems, Animals, Animals, you will find some poems that go along with the animals in this book
Horse pg. 74-75
Cow pg. 21
Pig pg. 50
Rooster pg. 52-53, 84
Owl pg. 46

Science: Farm Animals
Many farm animals are mentioned in this book (as noted in the memory/listmaking activity above). You may want to check out some books from the library about farm animals or just focus on one farm animal.

Spider Science
Spiders spin silky webs that other insects get stuck in. Why don't spiders get stuck? They tip-toe around on their web! To demonstrate this for your child, create a simple web on the floor with masking tape (tape side down--it won't be sticky). Pretend to be spiders by tip-toeing around on the web! You could print some flies and let your child stick them to the web mentioned above. Now, let your "spiders" tip-toe around on the web and eat those flies! (Spiders eat flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects)

Spiders don't chew their food. Once an insect gets stuck in the web, the spider shoots poison into it. The poison turns the bug into liquid, and the spider drinks her meal.

Here is a little song that will also reinforce what your child has learned about what spiders eat.
Original Author unknown (Sung to: "Farmer in the Dell")
The spider in the web,
The spider in the web
Spin, spin, oh watch him spin,
The spider in the web.

The spider eats a (bug name)
The spider eats a _________.
Spin, spin, oh watch him spin,
The spider in the web.

Another idea to reinforce the silky web is to search for silky textures in your home. Note the tactile web in The Very Busy Spider.

Eight Leg Worksheet
Circle the spiders! You will know by counting their legs. Insects have six legs while spiders have eight. Be careful not to count the antennas! (This would be a good time to teach that word to your child--as you look at the pictures. You may even want to make some simple antennas for him to wear.) Print worksheet

Just for Fun!

Pipe Cleaner Spider *The Itsy Bitsy Spider Tie-In
Materials Needed:
Black Pipe Cleaners
Egg Carton
Small pieces of PVC Pipe (to make a spout)
Yarn

Take one bump of the egg carton and attach black pipe cleaner legs. Let your child draw on the face with a Sharpie marker (if you dare!) cut eyes, mouth, antennas from construction paper and glue on. You could also use google eyes. Add yarn to the top. Sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" with your child. Using the yarn, your child will be able to make the spider go up and down the water spout.

Sprayed Spider Webs
You can collect spider webs! Every web is a different design, a true work of art. These unique creations are a testimony to intelligent design-- God, the creator of all things, has formed amazing creatures (including spiders!)

1. Tape a white piece of paper on some cardboard to make it stiff.
2. Locate a spider's web (somewhere outside). Gently shoo away the spider (or find a vacant web)
3. Take a can of spray paint (any color but white) and spray through the spider web. Don't spray too hard or it will tear up the web. You want to coat the web, but leave it intact
4. While the web is still wet with paint, hold the cardboard/paper behind the web and pull it toward you slowly, so the web is made flat on the cardboard
5. Set it aside to dry (until completely dry!)
6. The painted spider's web will stick to the paper, and when it dries, you'll have a painted print of the web
--idea adapted from Erskine Family at Homeway Press

Spider Snack
You need large marshmallows, M&Ms, Black string licorice, and chocolate syrup.
Cut licorice into 2" pieces. Poke 8 pieces of string licorice into each marshmallow for legs, pour chocolate syrup over the marshmallow, and add M&Ms for eyes
-original author unknown

Visit your local pet store to see a tarantula; the workers at my pet shop are very friendly and will get animals out for us (if you're brave enough!)

Resources

Links
The Very Busy Spider Story Card
Eensy Weensy Spider Mini Book to make from Nellie Edge
Spider Cookies!
shows a web from beginning to end
Spider Shape Book
On line activity-- Connect the dots to make a spider
Spider Anatomy
The Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme, Rhyming Words, and pieces to act out the rhyme
In the Hands of a Child Spiders Research Project Pack (2^nd-4^th)

Go Along Books
Miss Spider’s Tea Party (and have a tea party of your own!)
The Itsy Bitsy Spider (Lorianne Siomades)
Be Nice to Spiders (Magaret Graham)
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White) *read aloud for older children
Sophie's Masterpiece: a Spider's Tale

Go Along Video
The Magic School Bus Spins A Web

Back to Eric Carle Main Page

The Honeybee and the Robber

The Very Busy Spider

The Very Clumsy Click Beetle

The Grouchy Ladybug

The Very Lonely Firefly

The Very Quiet Cricket

Materials and information on this website belong to the original composers. It may be used for your own personal and school use.