Hermit Crabs Unit Study

Andrew received a hermit crab for his birthday.  Instant unit study!  We needed to learn a lot about them.  So we did!  We mainly focused on land hermit crabs since that is what we have.

Meet Luke the Crabi (like Luke the Jedi)...



This is the "crabitat"



We are learning how to care for them...

Our book list:

Moving Day

A House For Hermit Crab

Is This a House for Hermit Crab?

How to Care for your Hermit Crab

Keeping Unusual Pets - Hermit Crabs (older version)

Hermit Crabs

One of the facts we read in a book that the boys really enjoyed was how hermit crabs  in the ocean and sea anemone work together.  Sea anemone will attach themselves to the shell of the hermit crab.  Then they protect and camouflage the hermit crab, and in turn, may share the hermit crab's meals.  Plus they get a ride around the ocean!  How amazing and creative is our God!!  Read this article from Answers in Genesis.

I had made this cute color matching file folder game for Samuel a few weeks ago.  As you can see, he really enjoyed it!



I made some Hermit Crab Upper to Lower Case Matching Cards for Ethan.  They were a big hit.  I laminated them to make them nice and sturdy.  We used clothespins with them.  They were the "pincher claws".



We did a dot to dot Hermit Crab

We made a pretty simple lapbook.

I made these files.  Nothing fancy, just a way to get some info in the lapbook.

Lapbook Cover and Anatomy of Hermit Crab

Misc Hermit Crab Booklets

Caring for Your Hermit Crab checklist

Hermit Crab Vocab Words With Pocket

I used these files from HomeschoolShare.com:

My Address

Wise Man/Foolish Man Bible Story We read this from the Bible and sang the song over and over again!  It was a great discussion on the importance of building your life on the Rock of Jesus Christ!  This cd was used to sing the song!

There is a series of videos on YouTube that was really helpful on taking care of hermit crabs.  Here is one of them:



We painted some crabs using a potato.  The idea came from the The Usborne Big Book of Playtime Activities.







Ethan thought he needed one too, so we went to the pet store for another one.  This one's name is Pinchers Hermie (our last name), according to Ethan on our way home.



This is how Samuel feels about the hermit crabs...

And yes, I made the picture black and white so you couldn't see my dirty chair!  Really, it's that white wash that just looks dirty sometimes!  Anyway, isn't this the funniest, yet sweetest thing you have ever seen?!

They have been quite interesting to watch.  They are nocturnal, so a lot of their activity happens when we are about to go to bed.  We feed them fruits, vegetables or a cracker or chip sometimes.  It is chomped on during the night.  We have experienced Andrew's crab change shells.  That's a pretty neat thing to see.  Andrew has been pinched by each one of them.  Poor thing.  I know it hurts, but I don't think he has been as careful about it as he could have been.  Lessons learned!  They've put them out for exercise only to lose each of them at different times.

Did I ever think we would have such an odd pet?!  Never!  But I have boys, and boys like strange things.  They are kind of creepy to me, still.  But we have all learned a lot about them.  So I will take the creepy if we can learn something together!

Psalm 91:1

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.