Pipe Cleaner Spiders

Many years ago, I used to do a really cute pipe cleaner spider craft with my fifth graders. I love seeing my sample each year when I unbox the Halloween decorations.

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Pipe Cleaner Spider

Materials: 

• 4-hole black button
• four pipe cleaners
• two googly eyes
• craft glue

Steps:  

Bend each pipe cleaner in half and force the bent end through one of the holes of the button. It should protrude about 1/2 inch or so, depending on the size of your button. This step is either easy or very difficult depending on the size of the buttonholes. If it is a very tight fit, try rotating the pipe cleaner as you push it through. Repeat with the other three pipe cleaners.

Bend the ends of the pipe cleaners down to cover the button.

Bend the legs to form the shape of the spider.

Glue on eyes.

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It's been at least a decade since I've made one of these, so I'd forgotten that a few of the steps are a little tricky. Trevor wasn't able to thread the bent pipe cleaners through the buttonholes, so we adapted the project to match a kindergartener's dexterity. 

Start with the same supplies, but instead of bending the pipe cleaners, leave them straight. Thread each of the four pipe cleaners through a buttonhole.

Working with one pipe cleaner at a time, twist the two ends around each other to secure them to the button. Bend the pipe cleaners to form the spider legs.

(For this picture, I removed the other three pipe cleaners to make it easier to see what to do.)

Continue to twist and then bend all eight legs.

Add eyes and you're done!