Exploring spiders is a fun part of our fall theme with both our toddlers and preschoolers. While planning our spider web painting activity, I thought of a fun way to add spiders to our sensory bin. Dyed rice, pretend spiders, and a water spout! After singing one of our favorite songs, Itsy Bitsy Spider, the children had fun dropping the spiders down the water spout rather than up. There was lots of scooping and dumping rice, too. A fun way to work on those fine motor skills!
But then I saw a collection of rain gutters and downspouts. I love rain gutters for school-related activities. About 18 years ago I went to a Bev Bos workshop where she showed how to use them as ramps for water and sand. I purchased one, had my husband sawed them into two shorter pieces, and we’ve been using them indoors and out for years. So when I noticed the downspouts, I got to thinking about how fun it would be for the children to pour things down it. I found the connecting end piece and attached it, creating a very short version of what we have on our house. And idea came to me to turn our sensory bin into an Itsy Bitsy Spider activity, having the spiders go DOWN the water spout. (Click here to see how we also made our own spider puppets to use with this song!) Easy, right? I then filled the bin with:
Dyed rice (instructions in this post) Small pretend spiders Scoops and cups
Note: use larger spiders if you are concerned about choking.
I then introduced this sensory bin, showing them how the rice and spiders could be scooped, transferred, and dropped into the opening of the spout. They were immediately engaged because it was meaningful. They connected it to the song we just sang and wanted to pretend their spiders were falling down the spout.
Such a fun way to connect music to another activity!
This is one of the several reasons I love having a sensory bin in the classroom. It takes great concentration to scoop and pour, especially when they are aiming at something specific. In this case, it is the top of the water spout.
Also, because conversations are often taking place, communication skills are being built. So there you go. A super easy spider sensory bin that keeps young children engaged while also building a variety of skills!
Egg Carton Spider Craft Learning About Spiders at the Science Table
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