Spiders in Fiordland

 Monday 3rd December

Sophie discovered a family of spiders on a piece of bark on one of the gum trees near the car park.

It was an exciting find as next to the spider was a small round white spider’s nest.  Also on the same piece of bark there was a clear sac with 2 baby spiders inside it.  We could see them moving around under the sac cover. 

Ollie said, “ We found the spider on a tree.  Sophie found it.”

Sophie said, “I found a spider and a nest, just a wee one.  It was on the tree.  There was a spider who was growing.”

When asked where they were growing, Sophie  explained her theory on why they were inside the sac.

Sophie: “It was a thing that protects it and it doesn’t fall out cos its not old enough.”

Ollie said, “It was crazy cos it couldn’t find its home.”

Morgan said, “Sophie found a spider on a piece of bark.  There was baby spiders and there was a cover over them to keep them safe in case there was danger. There were just two.  They were just moving and then they were still cos they were frightened of all the people around them. We put them back where they were cos they’ve got nature.

On the same tree where we found the spider and her babies, we discovered an even bigger spider. The children decided that it must be the Daddy spider. We also found another spider nest that had many babies inside it.

Morgan said, “The big Daddy spider on the tree, it was the other spider we found.”

John caught the spider so that the children could get a closer look at it.

Ollie and Morgan were very courageous and let the spider crawl on their hands.

 Morgan said, “He was hanging off me with his web.  It feeled like (the web) like the soft thing on the baby spiders that we found.  The cover around the baby spiders. We dropped it a bit but John put it back on the tree cos he was scared of us.”

Ollie said, “I shake it off when it landed on my hand.”

John opened up a nest so the children could see the baby spiders on Ollie’s hand.  They were very tiny.

Ollie said,”The babies were in there, in a sac. They were racing around.  Lots and lots of baby spiders.  They were tickly.”

Sophie said, “Ollie had a lot of little spiders on Ollie’s hand.  They were in the tree as well.”

Morgan said, “These tiny ones were in the nest and Ollie put them in his pocket to put them in his spider cage at home.”

Everyone was fascinated by the spiders and we were able to see how the babies remained protected until they were big enough and old enough to venture out and explore the world and make their own homes.

Who needs video, DVD or TV when you can experience it in the flesh.  You can  see, hear, feel/touch and smell what is around you.  There isn't a better way to explore, experience and learn.  

The photos say it all!!!!