Kids Craft: Halloween Paper Plate Spider

Here's a quick, simple, and relatively clean Halloween project for the kids, Paper Plate Spiders.  Start to finish probably took us 30 minutes.

Materials:
• paper plates
• paint
• construction paper
• tape
• glue
• spider eye print-outs (if needed)
• yarn for hanging

Tools:
• paint brushes
• stapler
• scissors

Directions:
1.  On a nicely protected surface paint the undersides of two paper plates in a matching color.  We chose to make an orange spider and a purple spider.

(And there is NO shame in busting out the hair dryer to make things move along.)

2. While painting is occurring (or before hand if you're good at planning ahead) cut a piece of construction paper vertically into 8 strips and fold each one like an accordion.

3. Once paint is dry, turn over one plate and quickly tape four legs towards one side of the plate and four legs toward the other.  This will hold them in place so that when you put the other plate onto the first you sandwich the legs and they won't fall out while you staple around the perimeter of the plates.  Be sure to staple the end of a long piece of yarn into the top of your spider so that he can hang from his web.

(I didn't get a picture of the actual stapling, but I'm sure you'll get it once you see the final product).

4. Draw out some crazy, scary or pretty eyes on another paper plate, cut them out and glue them onto the front of your spider.  If you're not too sure about your eye drawing ability (I have faith in you!) you can download a page of eyes HERE and print it out on card stock.  Don't forget to make a mouth or even a nose.  Hey, who says your Halloween spider can't have a nose?  Luc told me he wanted his spider's mouth to be like "mer...rrrr...eerrr..mrrr" which translates into a zig-zag, of course.

Let me know how yours turn out!  I bet you could scare a few grandmas with spiders this big!