We are also Lutherans :) I school our son who is 11 years old, and we are learning about insects and spiders by collecting specimens in our back yard. 'Bush wacking' and a large umbrella to catch falling insects is our main method. We drag our lawn to feed our paraphidippus aurantius (Emmy) who immediately made an egg sac when we found her...expecting slings around August 2nd. We found two P. Audax spiderlings that now live in 'cheese ball' containers with nylon hose lids. We want to keep Emmy and both p. audax spiders, but Missouri has cold winters. Any advice is greatly appreciated. She enjoys small katydids, which I offered at her nest entry. She voraciously grabs them from my hand. I barely mist near the sac and she drinks. I place a fresh (ant free) Rose of Sharon blossom in the p. audax containers and nudge them out of the old and into the new blossom each morning. They all have indirect sunlight 3 hours a day. Our problem is, we don't know what to feed slings when they hatch. Could use advice. Also, about spider care during winter. Could we breed crickets in a large plastic bin in our basement?

All help is appreciated while I'm home schooling...this summer we are learning much about spiders and insects. Mostly spiders now...since we have them as pets. :)