Sadly, another planned storytime that didn’t happen. The week before this storytime was scheduled, our basement flooded and we unfortunately had to begin renovations because our walls and floor were significantly damaged. But had storytime happened, this is what we would have done:
Books:
Hector the Hermit Crab by Katie Boyce
Clumsy Crab by Ruth Galloway
Old Shell, New Shell by Helen Ward
And the planned extension activities:
Flannelboard: “Five Cranky Crabs”
Five cranky crabs were digging on the shore.
One swam into a net and then there were four.
Four cranky crab were floating in the sea.
One got tangled up in seaweed, then there were three.
Three cranky crabs were wondering what to do.
One dug a deep, deep hole. Then there were two.
Two cranky crabs were warming in the sun.
One got scooped up in a cup. Then there was one.
One cranky crab was smarter than his friends.
He hid between the jagged rocks. That’s how the story ends!
Credit: Preschool Education — Sea & Ocean
Action Rhyme: “Once I Saw a Crab” // Modified “Once I Saw An Octopus”
Once I saw a crab swimming in the deep blue sea. (Swim, point downward)
I called, “Mr. Crab, won’t you swim with me?” (Cup hands around mouth)
Then out came his pinchers, very short and sharp, too (Make two clawhands)
Then I swam away from his sharp pinchers two. (Swim away)
Credit: Preschool Education — Sea & Ocean
Fingerplay: “Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab”
Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab pinch and snap all day
Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab pinch and snap all day
With a pinch, pinch here and a snap, snap there
Here a pinch, there a snap, everywhere a pinch, snap
Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab pinch and snap all day
Credit: Everything Preschool — Beach Songs
Song: “We’re Little Orange Crabs” (Tune: Farmer in the Dell)
We’re little orange crabs
Who live down by the sea,
And where we do go
We’re quick as quick can be.
We’re little orange crabs
Who like to run and hide,
And when you see us walking by
It’s always side to side.
Credit: Preschool Education — Sea & Ocean
And the planned craft (which is amazingly adorable!) was paper plate crabs!
Which I got from Sarah, which she got and modified from the Craft of the Day blog — Cool Crab Hats.
Teen volunteers cut out all the shapes; the wiggly eyes were self-stick, and the kids would have used glue dots to attach everything to the plate.
storytime katie 
liked the plan—someday you will do it for real
Love this! Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry about your basement damage, hope all is well now!