Spider Facts For Kids

jessicazornes
Sep 20, 2022
3 min read

8 Eyes, 8 Legs, 8 Facts!

Not So Itsy Bitsy

Inching our way closer to Halloween, creating a home school lesson plan about the creepy creatures seemed quite fitting. Opinions may vary, but for me, catching them in my home isn't my favorite thing. That feeling we can all relate to- did it get on me, is it on me?!

I can, however, appreciate their place in nature, the food chain, and how my son thinks they are cool. Because, as we've all learned, spiders are actually quite cool for several reasons. So although some species may be itsy bitsy to us, information about them and their capabilities is definitely the opposite.

Web of Information

As with many of my lesson plans, researching books and the internet is where my inspiration got its start with this particular unit study. But with 43,000 kinds of spiders in the world, there is a tangled web of information out there about the creatures. So, I have highlighted eight facts to share with the kids about the arachnids.

1. Arachnids not insects

It's important to review that spiders are arachnids. Their bodies are made up of 2 parts, instead of 3 like an insect, a cephalothorax (the head and thorax fused together) and an abdomen. Other distinctive body parts include the spinnerets, fangs, 8 legs, and 8 eyes-although they do not see very well.

2.The Scary Hairy Facts

All types of spiders have hair, some more than others. For example, a tarantula's body is heavily covered in hair, whereas the black widow's body is seemingly smooth. Spiders use their hair to for a variety of tasks, such as sensing what is around them, for defense and catching prey, for mobility, and for courting other spiders.

3.Helpful Hang Abouts

Although not always pleasant looking or nice to have hanging around, spiders serve as a helpful deterrent to other bothersome critters. Thanks to spiders and their webs, the amount of insects in the home, like bedbugs and flies, is reduced. Spiders help to trap the unwanted pests and get rid of them. Also helpful is the strong silk they spin. Scientists study the spider's silk in order to try to produce something as strong and stretchy that can be used for our benefits, like bandages or ropes.

4. Caught In The Web

A spider's web is an essential tool used to capture food, but it is also has other purposes. One other function of a spider web is to allow the spider to travel or "balloon" from place to place. A web is also purposeful in protecting the entrance to the spider's home and keeping spider eggs safe. There are 4 main types of webs; Orb, Web, Funnel, Sheet.

5. Not All Spiders Spin Webs

Tarantulas are a type of spider that does not make a web. Instead, they dig burrows and chambers in the ground. The tarantula covers its dwelling with stiff silk to make it strong. It then hides inside the burrow waiting to attack close insects.

6. Smooth As Silk

Spiders can use silk to make many different kinds of structures, but where does this material come from? It starts as a liquid inside the spider's abdomen, it hardens and comes out of the spinnerets on the spider. Spider's silk is strong and stretchy, some spider's silk is sticky, some is not.

7. Dozens and Dozens and Dozens of Eggs.

No matter the type of spider, each one begins as an egg. Some spider's lay over 2,000 eggs! The mother spider may carry her egg sac with her, or keep it safe under a leaf or log. Once the eggs hatch, they are called spiderlings. In the wolf spider species, spiderlings will live on their mother's back for 10 days.

8. All Spiders Are Meat-Eaters

Spiders are predators. They eat insects and in some species, they will eat larger animals such as fish, lizards, frogs, and snakes. And sometimes, spiders will even eat each other! However, spiders do not have teeth, so they must suck the liquids from their prey.