Today’s theme was HERMIT CRABS!! We read about hermit crabs, sang a silly song or two about hermit crabs, and created a hermit crab pet out of pompoms, pipe cleaners, and pasta shells. Some of the vocab words from the stories listed below are: HERMIT CRAB, SHELL, HOME, HOUSE, SEA, WATER. Below is information from this story time, including the books we read and the songs we sand in case you want to try any of this out at home.

Here are some facts about hermit crabs:

  • Did you know they can make noises? They chirp when they are upset about something. I guess you might say they chirp when they feel crabby! You can listen to one chirping here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWgDGHUvPQ0
  • Hermit crabs have to keep moving from house to house (or shell to shell) as they grow big
  • Hermit crabs are very social and actually hate living alone (not like hermits at all). They live in groups of threes to hundreds and even into the thousands!

BOOKS:

hermitcrab_anyoneknow                                                               hermitcrab_carle

Does Anyone Know Where a Hermit Crab Goes?                           A House for Hermit Crab
~ by Michael Glaser                                                                                ~ by Eric Carle

SONGS/POEMS:

We Are Little Hermit Crabs (Tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”)
We are little hermit crabs by the sea,
Playing on the sand we’re happy as can be.
Watch us crawling this way and that way, too,
And then go swimming in the sea so blue.

Hermit Crab
One little hermit crab by the sea so blue, (Hold up one finger.)
Along came another hermit crab, and that made two. (Hold up two fingers.)
Two little hermit crabs swimming in the sea,
Along came another hermit crab, and that made three. (Hold up three fingers.)
Three little hermit crabs playing on the shore,
Along came another hermit crab, and that made four. (Hold up four fingers.)
Four little hermit crabs so glad to be alive,
Along came another hermit crab, and that made five. (Hold up five fingers.)
Five little hermit crabs just having some fun,
Crawling on the sand in the hot summer sun. (Wiggle fingers.)

CRAFT: 
Making hermit crab pets out of large pasta shells, pipe cleaners, pompoms, googly eyes, and paint
hermitcrab_pastacraft

HERMIT CRAB COLORING SHEETS:

1) http://homeschooling.about.com/library/crabcolor2.pdf
2) http://imgs.steps.dragoart.com/how-to-draw-a-hermit-crab-step-3_1_000000005794_5.jpg
3) http://www.kindyart.com/images/pets/decorate_the_hermit_crab_shells_colouring_page_big.gif