Charlotte's Web Craft for Kids: Fun Floating Spider Craft

Charlotte’s Web is one of the books that I automatically associate with childhood. I listened to it read aloud in elementary school (third grade, I think) and I read it myself so many times I lost count.

When our six-year-old and I started reading it as part of our BookShark Level 1 curriculum, she discovered that she loved it just as much as I did. Some things never change.

So I thought it would be fun to make a quick and easy Charlotte’s Web craft that she could enjoy and that’s how we came up with this floating spider craft!

This only took us a few minutes to make and it gave us a chance to get outside and play. It’s perfect for early grades.

See how to make your own below! And, for more fun with book-themed crafts, check out our Farm Paper Bag Puppets based on Big Red Barn!

Disclosure: I am a BookShark brand ambassador and am receiving free curriculum as part of my role.

Charlotte’s Web Craft for Kids: Fun Floating Spider Craft

We’ve been working our way through BookShark Level 1 with our first grader this year and we’ve gotten to read so many wonderful children’s books the past few months.

I have to admit, though, that when I opened the box and saw Charlotte’s Web in there, I did a little leap for joy.

If you’ve read the book, you probably remember that Charlotte’s egg sac finally hatches and all of her babies venture out into the world. When Wilbur (the pig) sees them shoot out silk and sail off on the wind, he starts to panic.

Three of them end up staying near him and…(I’m going to stop before I retell the entire book.)

Anyway, the idea of spiders sailing off on the wind is what helped us come up with this simple craft.

To make this easy Charlotte’s Web craft, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

What we’re basically making is a spider wearing a parachute. Easy peasy!

To make this, use a hole puncher to punch a hole in each side of the coffee filter. You want the holes to be directly across from each other.

I made one hole on the left and the other directly across on the right. Then I turned the filter around and did the same thing again to have four holes in all.

Then cut about a three foot length of string and cut that into four equal pieces. Thread one piece of string through each hole in the filter.

Connect opposing sides by typing the left and right side strings together with a simple knot. Leave about an inch or two loose at the end. Turn the filter around and do the same thing again. You should end up with four strings tied into two.

Then you just tie each of the tied strings around the spider and you’re done!

Make sure that the length of string is even on all sides. If the spider isn’t hanging directly beneath the filter’s middle, it won’t float.

Also – you want the weight of the spider to be evenly distributed. We tied one set of strings together around the front and the other together around the back.

All that’s left to do is take it outside…

…and watch it float!

You don’t have to throw it or anything. If you hold the filter open and up, the spider should float gently to the ground.

Super neat!

I think Charlotte would be proud.

If you’re looking for a literature-rich homeschool curriculum, I cannot recommend BookShark enough. We have had so much fun reading classic stories, and learning about the vocabulary, history, and science behind them this year.

Take a look at the different BookShark levels to find which one is best suited for your child! And don’t forget to request your free catalog!