Catching a Spider: Catch and release for Kids

Spider Catch and Release for Kids @WildlifeFun4KidsYou may be scared of spiders or love them, although I fear most are in the first category but spiders do play an important role in the environment. I try to teach my children that every animal has a role to play and so when we stumble on any creatures, we usually take some time to look at and discuss it. This time though, we have to get a little more hands-on!

Miss Possum found a  huntsman spider in the house and it was a perfect opportunity to teach the girls that we don’t need to kill an animal to get it out of our house. Instead we can release it outside.  So we did.

What you need to catch a spider

All you need is:

  • A container or a cup that’s bigger than the spider
  • A piece of paper (or cardboard, if you don’t feel that’s thick enough).

I should remind you all here to check the type of spider it is before catching it. If it’s venomous it would be better left for the professionals and save this activity for a spider that you know is quite harmless.

Before you try to catch the spider to release it outside, talk about the spider. Here are some questions you can pose to your children:

  • How many legs does it have?
  • What does it eat?
  • Where are its eyes?
  • Why do you think it’s in our house?
  • Why shouldn’t we kill it?
  • Why are spiders important for the environment?
  • Do all spiders make webs?

Teaching children about Spiders

We looked in our wildlife guide-book  to find out if the huntsman spider was poisonous (I already knew the answer, but I think it’s good for children to find out themselves). We also learnt a lot about them. We learnt that a huntsman spider is nocturnal and doesn’t make a web but hunts it’s food at night, they are great for around our house because they eat cockroaches and we also admired the features on its body.

How to catch a spider

Next, you’ll need to catch it.

I caught it before I realized this would be a good post for you guys (the things I do for a blog post!) and so I tipped the spider out and did it again while getting hubby to take the photos.

I must admit, I did squeal a couple of times. They are just so fast and although I love spiders, I’m not fond of having them run up my arm. I tried not to get silly about it and reassured the girls I wasn’t scared. Still, i did see my children get slightly more anxious after that (darn instincts, why did I squeal!)

  1. Catching a spider works best if your spider is on a flat surface. Have both your cup (or container) and piece of paper ready and close by you.
  2. Grab your cup and quickly place it over the spider (try not to squish those little legs).
  3. Then, slowly move the paper under the cup.
  4. Put your hand up under the paper to keep the spider contained. There, wasn’t that easy?!
  5. Then, release it outside!

Catching a Spider in your house

How to catch a spider

Yesterday, Miss possum found another huntsman inside, although this one was much smaller and she wanted to catch it herself. I was surprised but she did it and she did it without squealing too!

It’s so lovely to know that my children are already thinking to take animals outside when we find one in the house (we catch moths too). This little activity really does teach your child that every animal has its place in the world and it’s important that they do their job… just outside!

Have you ever caught a spider? How do you feel about spiders in your home?

Teaching children about spiders

Keeping Garden Snails as Pets

A great pet for kids - snailsMany of us automatically view snails as an annoying little pest that eats our veggie gardens but next time you see one, don’t get out the spray (or organic defenses) just yet, snails make great pets for kids!

Why keep snails?

  • They’re quiet
  • They don’t take much work
  • A simple setup is quite inexpensive
  • Children can handle snails (see below)
  • They may be slow but they can be interesting to watch
  • They are a very different type of pet
  • Their food can be scraps from your fridge

Where can you find snails? 

You can find snails in the garden most of the time. In our old house, we didn’t find a snail once (and we always look for creepy crawlies) but as soon as we added a veggie garden it was almost like it was an open invitation for snails to visit us.  We usually find ours tucked up under a lettuce leaf.

What you need to take care of snails

 

What you need to keep snails

Enclosure

Their enclosure can be as simple or extravagant as you’d like.  It is can be a plastic takeaway container if you’re only intending to keep and observe them for a couple of days but if you’re thinking of keeping them for longer, a larger enclosure would be better for the snails. It’s important to ensure there’s a good amount of ventilation. Snails don’t mind a bit of humidity but they do still need fresh air too.

Soil/Substrate

We used regular soil out of the garden and, because we had it on hand from making a wildlife themed terrarium a while a go, I also added some sphagnum moss. Both are great substrates for snails and should be  added 7 -10 cm deep in the enclosure.  Keep the substrate clean and moist at all times. A spray bottle is perfect to moisten substrates and furnishings in the enclosure without over soaking it.

Keeping snails

Home and other furnishings

Snails like to hide in dark places, although some like to sit near the lid and others even under the dirt. Providing plenty of places that allow the snail to be where it makes them happy can only be good for your snails.We added a terracotta pot and a stick for climbing  but you can add real plants, rocks and twigs too.

Food

Snails eat fruit and veggies (although avoid citrus foods) but theses foods soil quickly. I’d suggest adding a food bowl. It makes the clean up and addition of  fresh food much easier than if you added it straight to the bottom of the tank. Remember to wash the food before you give it to them. Many fruits and veggies come home with pesticides on their skin and  if you feed it to them, it will kill your snails.

Food for snails

Also, snails need calcium to keep their shells healthy, so adding a bit of cuttlefish or dried crushed egg shells to the side of the dish is important too. For a good list of food that snails love and  for more information on why snails need calcium in their diet, visit this great website all about pet snails. 

Handling

Handling snails is fine but ensure you use proper health practices and wash your and your child’s hands straight after holding a snail. Also, I’d suggest that children be fully supervised as people can get sick if they eat snails.

Maintenance and care

There are plenty of positives for keeping snails but I love that they don’t take a lot of work. The side of the snail enclosure should be wiped down once a week and the substrate changed once a month. Also, ensure you take out any rotten food and replace with fresh food every couple of days. Easy!

Pets for Kids

I find watching snails quite relaxing. They just slither around at their own pace and enjoy their surroundings.The girls really seem to enjoy watching them too.

We had these snails in a takeaway container for two weeks during the move and I could tell they were very happy when put in their new enclosure. They became active right away.

We won’t keep them forever. We’ll have to decide if we are going to let them go in our veggie garden or if I should take them to work and feed them to our blue tongued lizards. I have a feeling the girls won’t let me do the latter.

Have you ever kept snails?

Follow on activities

  • Learn about snails, their breeding, predators and where they fit into the a food chain
  • Find out more about animals that carry homes on their backs
  • Make a shell using recycled materials and put it on your back, now you can pretend to be a snail!
  • Race your snails. Mark their shell with a little bit of nail polish (if you can’t tell them apart) and race them!
  • Conduct snail investigations

 

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