Conker Spiders for Halloween

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Description

Learn about spiders, and make some conker spiders in this great Halloween activity (while avoiding using too much plastic).


Resources

Conkers
Palm drills or conker drills
Ideally also conker clamps (buy from Muddy Faces) https://muddyfaces.co.uk/shop/products/conker-clamp-kids-at-work
Cotton & wire (eco) pipe cleaners - get from Conscious Crafts https://consciouscraft.uk/products/pipe-cleaners
PVA Glue
Scissors in case pipe cleaner 'legs' need trimming
Eye stickers (better than the plastic googly eyes) - and/or pens to draw on eyes. You can use acrylic ones or a white pen corrector and a black pen.

Instructions

Get the kids to work in pairs.

Give each a conker, palm drill and conker clamp.

Get them to clamp in the conker and one of the kids hold the clamp while the other uses the palm drill to drill a hole through the body of the conker. Make sure you show them how to do this safely. The clamp helps avoid them drilling into their hands.

Get them to swap over/ take turns until they all have a conker with a hole.

Next give them pipe cleaners and get them to thread through the hole. You will need 4 for 8 legs.

Talk to them about spiders as you do the activity - are spiders insects? How many legs do they have? How many eyes? What do they eat? How do they catch their food (not all use webs etc). You may want to share some photos of spiders to talk about body parts as conker spiders aren't quite true to how a spider looks - no abdomen!

Once the legs are threaded through get them to add a face to the spider. They can stick on eye stickers with the help of glue, or use pens to draw a face. They can also colour the body of the spider if they have time/ the right kind of pens.

You can also use conkers to create webs to go with - you stick wooden kebab sticks around a conker in a circle and then wrap string around to create a web. You can 'hang' your spiders on your web and make a Halloween decoration.


Tags

  • conkers
  • Conkers and Acorns
  • halloweeen crafts
  • Nature
  • Nature Activities
  • spiders

Badge Links

  • Creative - Craft
  • Outdoors - Natural activity
  • Skills - Creative activity