Mini Beasts

In this activity, be a spider scientist and capture and preserve a delicate spiderweb to study.

You Need:

• Empty spiderweb
• Talcum powder
• Black construction paper
• Hair spray

1. Head outside, in the backyard, school ground or nature trail in search of an unoccupied spider web. To find out if the web is empty, tap it very lightly. You will see the spider move if it is occupied, and you will need to find another web to preserve. Look carefully in tall grass and bushes. 

• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of used coffee grounds
• 1/4 cup of salt
• cup of sand
• Water
• Mixing bowl and spoon
• Fossil Objects

• teaspoon of beef stock powder
• cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of gelatin
• Saucepan for boiling mixture
• 2 x Petri dishes
• Spoon
• Sticky tape
• Felt-tip pen to label petri dishes
• Cotton swab (optional)

• Empty 2-litre plastic bottle with lid, or 1-litre milk carton , or similar (transparent containers are best to view your worms)
• Soil or potting mix
• Food scraps (vegetables, lettuce, fruit etc.)
• Newspaper ripped into small squares and wet
• Hay, dead leaves or grass clippings
• Sand (optional)
• 10 to 15 worms

1. Punch with a hammer and nail four small holes in the bottom of your container

• 1 packet of dry yeast
• 1 cup of warm water (almost hot)
• tablespoon of sugar
• 1 balloon
• A small empty juice or water bottle

1. Mix the yeast, sugar and warm water together by stirring gently.
2. Once the sugar has dissolved (after a minute or so) pour the mixture into the bottle. You may notice the mixture may have already started to bubble as the yeast produce carbon dioxide.
3. Stretch the mouth of the balloon