What is a water spout in the Itsy Bitsy Spider?
It is the drainpipe on the outside of a house, the one that carries rainwater down from the roof. Spiders can climb inside and get flushed out when it rains, which is exactly what happens in the rhyme.
How to explain it to a child
Try: “See that pipe on the wall? When rain falls on the roof, it runs down that pipe.” Most children have never noticed one, so the best explanation is to go and find one together.
Try it yourself
On a rainy day, listen at the bottom of a drainpipe and watch the water rush out. Dry day? Pour a cup of water down a cardboard tube into the sink or a bucket. Now “down came the rain” makes sense.