Hello everyone,
This week we are reading The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle. The spider in the story is too busy making his web when lots of farm-yard animals ask him to come and play and he simply cannot spare the time for fun and games! Please find attached some fun and games you might like to try at home.
Literacy – Retell the story several times. Use your voice to imitate the sounds of the different animals. Can your child retell the story using different voices too? Read a non-fiction book, visit the library or use the internet to find out more about spiders. They are greatly feared and many people have a spider phobia. Children’s fears often stem from watching an adults reactions. Learning more about them helps us to understand their importance in our world and how we can look after them. They are an amazing creature and without them our ecosystem probably would crumble pretty quickly! They may not be the prettiest of minibeasts but they are our friends and far more frightened of us than we are of them – after all we are giants in their world. So remember, if you see one – Keep Calm and Carry On!
Fear of spiders? 8 reasons to like them more | Friends of the Earth
Maths – Focus on the web that the spider is making. You can sequence the different stages by looking at the amount of silky threads the spider has made. How many lines are there in the ‘frame’ of her web? The patterns are amazing in a spider’s web. Which one has this spider made? Use mathematical language to describe the process – the spider weaves across, down, over, under, around, diagonally, etc. We have been exploring symmetry – look at the lines of symmetry. Can your child find any? Go on a spider web hunt (especially good for early risers with the dew on webs making them easier to find). What do you notice? Can you save one using a card (please don’t hurt the spider though). See if you can determine the type of web and what kind of spider made it.
Spider webs: not just for Halloween | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Until next time, do good looking for adventures, clean your ears out for good listening and turn your noggins (brains) on for good learning.
Take care and stay safe,
Mrs Howe, Mrs Bain, Mrs Mitzman, Mrs Hill and Mrs Bence