A Pasta Shell Home for Hermit Crab

We live in the Midwest. And we’re landlocked. There is no shell-collecting happening 'round here. When my son became interested in hermit crabs, I had to get creative – REAL creative. I’m too cheap to buy those overpriced shells at the craft store, so when inspiration hit while making cheesy shell-stuffed shells the other night for dinner, I was over-the-moon excited.

Pasta shells are shells, right? Those jumbo ones look just like sea shells!! You know what? They make a great home for a homemade hermit crab!

Supplies

2 large red pom poms

1 red pipecleaner (cut in half)
2 small wooden craft clothespins

2 small googly eyes

1 jumbo pasta shell

Paint

Low-temp glue gun

Before we got crafty, my son read the book Moving Day by Robert Kalan aloud. It’s a great book about a hermit crab in search of the perfect shell. It’s good for exploring opposites, too. Check out some of the text:

Too long,

too wide,

too big,

too small,

these shells will not do at all.

After we finished the book, my son painted the two small clothespins red (these are the crabs pinchers). Then he painted the jumbo pasta shell to his liking.

Once done, he used the hot glue gun to glue two red pom poms together. And glued the pinchers on. Then he bent the two pipecleaners in half and twisted them around the pom pom crab body for legs. Lastly, he glued two googly eyes on.

Now all that was left to do was see if “Herman” liked his new shell. Not surprisingly, he did!

My son has had so much fun playing with this little crab. And I’ve gotten a kick out of seeing where he turns up around our house!