This document provides instructions for a classroom activity to make paper plate spiders. It details the materials needed, preparation time, learning objectives, and step-by-step instructions. The activity aims to help children develop fine motor skills by bending pipe cleaners and applying decorations. It also works on hand-eye coordination when drawing eyes and threading ribbon. Safety concerns are noted and suggestions given for incorporating additional subjects like math, literacy, and problem solving.

1. Approaches to Childhood learning – Class activity Record Sheet
After every class Activity write into the record sheet. Add photos throughout the record. 15 records min required for portfolio. Add lots of images to illustrate your understanding.
Name: A B
Date:
4th November 2014
Week number:
Attended:
Present
Name and image of the Activity
Paper Plate Spiders
Materials used:
Paper plates, coloured pipe cleaners, ribbon, celotape, glue, black marker, crepe paper, scissors and glitter.
Time plan:
Preparation time took 10 minutes
Activity time took 30 minutes
Clean up time took 10 minutes

2. Room and/or equipment requirements:
Plenty of space was needed. The table needed to be clean.
General Aim of activity – What will the final outcome be? i.e. ‘To make an aeroplane with cardboard’ box.
To make a spider out of paper plates and pipe cleaners.
Specific Learning outcomes of the activity – What will be learned by doing the activity? Ie. ‘To use fine motor skills using the scissors’
 The children will use their fine motor skills when bending the pipe cleaner and applying the paper crepe to the paper plate.
 The children will also use their hand-eye co-ordination when drawing on the dots for the spiders eyes and also when putting the ribbon through the hole in the plate.
Steps for making or doing activity:
Use images with short captions
Paper Plate Celotape
Ribbon Pipe cleaners
Stick the pipe cleaner down with Mark two eyes
Celotape

3. Puncture a hole for ribbon Use materials to decorate
Finished Activity.
How will the child/ren benefit from the activity?
 The children will experience the different texture of the materials such as the softness of the pipe cleaners and the smoothness of the paper plate.
 The children will also learn the different colours of the piper cleaners.
 The children will experience the quality of the glitter and learn that it is very easy to pour.
Age group/s: (development level)
2 years and above.
How would you make the activity more inclusive? Principles of universal design
The information will be laid out in front of the children on laminated sheets, giving them step by step instructions aswell as the supervision of the childcare worker.
The size and space will also be a necessity as a lot of materials can be incorporated into this activity and the children will have a wide range of choice of how to decorate the spiders and with what.
How would you adapt the activity to suit outside/inside?
I would change it from being a spider to being a fish instead or a bird.
Simplify this activity:
I would demonstrate the activity out in front of the children. Then I would ask them to get into groups of 3’s and I would go around and help them if they asked me to.
Variations for the activity: How could you vary the activity? ‘Marbling using foam or egg whites instead’
Instead of using pipe cleaners I would use straws.
Instead if using markers to draw on the eyes, googly eyes and be used also.
String can be used instead of ribbon.

4. The Learning outcomes linked to Aistear
Exploring and thinking Identity and Belonging Well-being Communicating
Aim 1. 4,5,6
Aim 1.6
Aim 1.6
Aim 1.2
Aim 2. 1,2,4,5,6
Aim 2.1
Aim 2.1
Aim 1.6
Aim 3. 1,3,4,5
Aim 3.3
Aim 2.3
Aim 2.1
Aim 4. 1,3,4,5,6
Aim 4.2
Aim 3.1
Aim 2.4
Aim 4.6
Aim 3.1
Aim 4.1,2,6
Other curriculums: Montessori, HiScope..

Safety concerns? If any
My main safety concern would be when the children are making a hole in the paper plate for the ribbon. The child care worker needs to have this done before hand.
Could the activity link to an external activity/group/ outing? ‘Visit to a farm/forest to see/do….’
The childcare worker could take the children to a pet shop where they have various spiders or if they were to vary the activity they could bring the children on a nature walk if they were to do a bird.
Extensions for the activity: Could science, geography, history, culture, literacy, maths etc, be incorporated into to the activity? How? What changes would you make?
Maths is incorporated as the children will be counting the pipe cleaners for the legs of the spider.
Literacy can be incorporated as the childcare worker can read about spiders while using the paper plate spider as a puppet for the story.
Interactions with children: talk about…. Talk with your child about what they are doing. This will help them understand the physical and mental processes they are going through as well as giving them the vocabulary to describe it. "Look at how the paint splatters like that"
You could ask the child how many legs a spider has.
You could also ask what sort of face a spider has if it has a face at all.
You could show the children that the pipe cleaners bend.
Problem solving element? Make your child aware of the problem solving involved and ask them questions as needed to help them work out problems themselves, eg. "Why isn't the paint coming out now?", "Is the straw reaching the paint when the bottle is tipped like that?", "How could you fix that?"
You could ask the children when they are bending the pipe cleaners, why is it bending, what’s making it bend?
You could ask the children what would we do if we ran out of pipe cleaners. Could you cut them? Is there something else we could use?

5. Evaluation of activity: What did think of the activity?
I thought the activity overall was a huge success. I thoroughly enjoyed making a spider out of paper plates. I think this will come as a huge benefit towards children as there motor skills and sensory skills will be used at all times.
Additional information: (images, books, articles, video links, websites etc.)
 http://www.ncca.biz/Aistear/
 www.pinterest.com
Summary of your personal learning in points (at least 4) from doing the activity;
 I learned that working as part of a team opens your eyes to the activity more.
 I learned that if there was a child who had a difficulty with their sensory skills, that this would benefit them immensely as they would engage a lot of senses in this activity
 I also learned that although supervision is needed, the children would prefer to do an activity by themselves and feel independent. The visual instructions that would be laid out in front of them would encourage the children to think by themselves and not be dependent on the supervisor.
 This activity, I felt that this was a great opportunity to give children to express their creativity as they could decorate their paper plates.