Last week some students discovered this very interesting spider on our playground. Our lunchtime recess supervisors called for our building engineer, Mr. Baker, to come outside to capture it. When he arrived on the playground, he discovered that a group of kids had built a corral around the spider with woodchips. He picked it up along with a couple of leaves, placed it in a clear plastic container, safely secured it, and brought it into school.
Adults and children alike were fascinated and no one claimed to have seen one before. It created quite a stir, lots of speculation, and a some fear. Was it poisonous? Was it dangerous? Does it bite? Did it arrive here from another country? What kind is it?
Before long, a digital picture was taken (courageously) by Mr. Gulian, our fifth grade teacher, and it was sent to the entire staff to be shared with students. The real spider made the rounds to several classrooms. The research began! The very next day, students, teachers, and all staff members alike, were excited to share answers. There was even an email to a university professor and many online searches were conducted. A lovely picture of the spider was found on the cover of a book about spiders in one of our kindergarten rooms.
So the mystery was solved and fears were dissipated. We were all in awe that such a spectacular creature was living right outside our school and sharing our environment with us. We learned that finding answers helped us understand the world around us and put some of our fears to rest.
Are you curious about our little critter? Click here: Our Spider
