Share the Wonder

The Wonder of Spiderwebs

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the crisp air, pumpkins, colorful leaves…and the spiderwebs! Last week, we woke up to a thick fog that lined the spiderwebs with tiny droplets of water which revealed a marvelous display.

Different kinds of spiders make different kinds of webs, but they all make them for one main reason – to trap food! To me, the most marvelous thing about spiderwebs is that these small creatures are able to make these elaborate and efficient traps without a single lesson! Spiders are born knowing how to build their webs – they don’t need anyone to teach them.

October is a great month to observe and learn about spiderwebs. Here are some ideas for sharing fall’s proliferation of spiderwebs with students, family, and friends:

• Go on a spiderweb hunt. Early morning is best because dew will make the spiderwebs easier to see. Print out the Spider Bingo sheet from the National Wildlife Federation and see if you can find all of the different types of webs.
• Take photographs of spiderwebs around your school or home. Compare the photos and note the similarities and differences between the webs.
• Make a model of a spiderweb in a door frame using masking tape. Create a frame and radial threads out of the nonsticky side and use the sticky side to add a capture spiral. Toss some wads of paper into the web to represent flying insects. Do they stick? How is your web similar to a real spiderweb? How is it different?

  

• Watch a time-lapse video of a spider making an orb web on the Wonderopolis website.

I hope that you and your family will try some of these activities and that you feel a sense of wonder the next time you see a spiderweb.

Emily Morgan is the author of Next Time You See a Spiderweb from NSTA Press.