Easy Halloween Crafts

At our library we have a weekly Storyhour which is attended mostly by children under the age of four. As the librarian, I find it a challenge to find new and interesting projects that the kids are able to do. After a fruitless search on the Internet to find a craft project to go along with " How Spider Saved Halloween" by Robert Kraus, I tried to come up with a simple spider and web idea. First I tried a paper plate with yarn, but the manual dexterity needed to wrap the yarn around the plate seemed a little advanced, and I was sure it would lead to frustration. A second idea yielded a very simple, stylized project that I know the kids will enjoy!

Super Simple Spider Web

Materials needed:

Paper Plate

Yarn or string

Black construction paper

A picture of a spider (I found mine here:
http://www.coloring.ws/t.aspb=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/animals/spider.gif
You will probably want to save it and print it at about fifty percent. I printed mine on card stock to make it a bit sturdier, but regular paper would be fine.)

Glue (bottle or stick are both fine)

Tape

Scissors and/or paper cutter

Adult Preparation:

The preparation for this craft is pretty simple.

1) Cut the black paper width-wise into small strips. I used a paper cutter as I had to make a bunch, but scissors would work fine. ) You will need six strips. You won't use much of the paper for one. Precision is not important as different sized strips give this project a fun funky look.) One piece yielded enough for seven projects for me.

2) Cut three of the strips in half.

3) Cut out your spider.

4) Cut two lengths of yarn or string, one for your spider to hang from, and one for a loop to hang the web as a decoration. I used black and white for contrast, but any color could work. The lengths are up to you.

Your child's part:

1)Color the spider. Even the littlest children can do this part. (I have a nearly 2 year old in my group and love to have projects she can take part in.)

2) Glue the three longer strips across the plate to form a sort of 6 pieced "pie". They may need a bit of help with placement.

3) Use the shorter pieces of paper to connect the ends of the webs. This forms the outer edge of the web--kind of like a dot to dot.

4) Tape one end of a piece of yarn to the back of your spider.

5) Tape the other end of the yarn to the back of the plate.

6) Fold the other yarn in half and tape both ends to the back of the plate opposite your spider.

7)You're all done! Hang it up for Halloween!

You could also add insects to the web to make it a bit more creepy, but I kept ours as simple as possible.

Hope you enjoy this Super Simple Spiderweb !

Happy Halloween!

Sources: Personal Experience
www.coloring.ws (for the spider)