Paint the top surface of the paper plate solidly in black or orange. Cover the rim too. Leave to dry fully, about 25 minutes: if you add the glue web while the paint is tacky, the white will tint grey.

Once dry, drizzle the white glue straight from the nozzle in a loose spiral from the centre outward, then add four or five straight lines crossing the spiral like spokes. The lines do not need to be perfectly straight; a slightly wandering line looks more like a real web than a ruler-drawn one. Leave this to dry for 15 minutes until the glue is clear and firm.

While the web dries, cut two circles from the card per child: one about 5 cm across for the body and one about 3 cm for the head. Cut eight short strips, about 1 cm wide and 4 cm long, for legs. An adult should do this for children under six.

Glue the head circle onto the body circle, overlapping slightly. Tuck four leg strips under each side of the body, fanning them out slightly, and glue them down. Bend each leg strip once near the tip so the leg crooks at a knee joint. Let dry five minutes.

Glue two googly eyes onto the head. Draw a simple mouth with the black marker (a curved line for a smile or a straight line for a serious spider). Press the finished spider onto the web plate while the web glue is still slightly tacky, or add a dot of fresh PVA to stick it down.