Spider Marble Art Craft

So I was subbing in a preschool classroom last week and the little ones made the cutest spider craft at one of their centers! I wanted to incorporate this with my kiddos at my after-school program, and also I added more stuff to the craft.  The kids loved using the marble paint technique to make the spider webs!


This is what the finished product should look like:

Materials:

• Black construction paper
• White Cardstock paper
• White and/or color crayons
• Black and Grey paint
• A cup
• A cardboard box top
• Marbles (about 10)
• Googly eyes
• Scissors
• Elmer's glue

First take the black construction paper (sorry the above picture is 'white', I ran out of black paper...) and fold it in half.  On one side of the paper draw the spider's body (I did this for all my kiddos ahead of time).  Then cut the paper in half along the folded line.  Decorate the spider's body with crayons, add the goggly eyes, and cut the body out.

With the other half "black paper" fold it hamburger style like a fan.   

Next have students cut the fan into 8 strips for the spider's legs.  If your students are in the younger grades, have them draw 7 lines with a pencil before they start cutting.  Then glue on the legs to the spider's body.


Now here's the fun part!! I had 8 kids doing this craft and only one box.  The kids took turns doing the spider web part so while the kids were waiting, I had them do another worksheet about costumes.  You can download this freebie here!  I believe I got this worksheet from my student teacher last spring.  Sorry if the quality isn't that great! 

In the cup add all the marbles, a couple drops of paint, and shake it until all the marbles are covered in paint. Then drop the marbles into the box.  Have the students shake the box until their paper is completed covered.  

The paint dries quickly in a couple of minutes.  So the students can glue their spider onto their cool looking spider webs!  This was a quick an easy spider craft perfect right before halloween or during a bug study!

Super Student Tickets

As a sub I love using this classroom management strategy and the kids always try to be on their best behavior to earn their tickets!  I got this idea last spring during my student teaching.  The substitute teacher that subbed for my host teacher always did this.  This is an easy classroom management strategy for guest teachers!

Materials:

Print Super Student tickets on construction paper

Small basket/box/bucket

Optional- stickers, pencils, small rewards, etc.

During morning meeting/calendar/morning work, let the students know that through out the day you will be passing out super student tickets when you see students modeling good behavior, following directions, etc.  Remind them to write their names fold the ticket and put it in the basket.

Tell them you will be pulling 5 names out of the basket at the end of the day and they will receive a prize.  

**Check to see if the teacher has a prize box or what other types of reward system she uses.**  Some reward systems I've seen are good student stickers, fake money, and bucket fillers.  If the teacher doesn't have any, it is always good to bring your own like stickers and pencils as a back up plan.  Let them know the more tickets they get, the more likely they will receive a prize at the end of the day.

First Post!

After spending endless hours on the internet reading other people's blogs for teaching ideas and tips, I figured I wanted to give it a try.  I'm still in the early stages and would love all the helpful comments and hints I could get! I'm hoping to use this blog when I go into my first year of teaching *crossed fingers*.