Crafting Sea Crabs with Styrofoam Cups
Summertime and beach thoughts occupy our minds like never before, which means making beach-inspired crafts is always on their minds! Kids especially love creating beach-themed crafts – so these styrofoam cup sea crabs make for the ideal craft to keep kids occupied during a scorching hot day of summer fun!
Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs
In Wisconsin, one way to stay cool when temperatures reach the 90’s is staying indoors in air conditioning. As your kids wait for relief from the summer sun to arrive, sit them down to make these adorable foam cup crabs as an activity!
Craft paint of any variety – I used Americana and selected beach-inspired hues like Bahama Blue, Green Tea, Tuscan Red Desert Sand Coral Blush as well as pipe cleaners to match and googly eyes – will do.
At first, cut your cups down slightly to create crabby cups – cutting away about an inch and a half will do. Paint each of them, adding an additional coat if necessary. For their eyes, use beige colored pipe cleaner to cut 5 equal sections out for each crab you make; repeat for another pipe cleaner for 5 crabs altogether (that should give 10 pieces total). Add white craft glue onto one tip of each pipe cleaner piece so it attaches securely with googly eyes as soon as possible and set them aside to dry completely before moving onto something else!
Cut a pipe cleaner in half and cut both pieces apart; bend one piece along its centerline before beginning to twist together, leaving 3/4-inch open on either end; bend this open piece into a curve for each claw and repeat with remaining pipe cleaner halves for two claws from one pipe cleaner! This should make two claws from just one pipe cleaner!
For the legs, divide two additional pipe cleaners into six equal pieces using scissors; you should get three pieces from each pipe cleaner. Bend each piece as you see in pictures so they form an S shape and use a toothpick to poke two holes on either side of the cup for inserting forearm claws that you will secure using white glue. Finally, poke three more holes on either side using your toothpick so that the legs point in different directions before finally adhering them securely with white glue.
Poke two holes near the front claw arms at the top of your cup for eyes, adding some glue as needed and then inserting your previously created eyes. Allow everything to dry completely before displaying.
Be mindful to bring these back home after using them on the beach or outdoors so as to reduce litter!
If you’re in search of more crafts like this one, take a look at this paper plate sea crab or these adorable seashell creatures crafted out of paper plates! For even more inspiration head over to our beach crafts for kids section.