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Craft Tutorials | Crafts for Kids | Animal Crafts for Kids | Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs
Animal Crafts for Kids

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs

Author by Amanda Davis on June 30, 2019 Updated on July 6, 2019

5 from 3 votes
The kids will love making some adorable styrofoam cup sea crabs this summer!
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Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs
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styrofoam cup sea crabs pin image

It’s summertime and that means our minds are on the beach. Kids love making beach themed crafts, so these styrofoam cup sea crabs are the perfect craft for a hot, hot summer day!

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs

 

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs

Here in Wisconsin, unless you have a pool or a beach close by, the best way to stay cool when it’s in the 90’s is to stay inside in the air conditioning. While your kids are waiting for the summer sun to dip down a bit and offer some relief, sit them down to make these cute foam cup crabs.

Colorful Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs

What You’ll Need

  • Styrofoam cups
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Googly eyes
  • White craft glue
  • Scissors
  • Paintbrushes
  • Craft paint (Bahama Blue, Green Tea, Tuscan Red, Desert Sand, Coral Blush.)


How to Make Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs

Americana paint colors

You will need some craft paint, I used Americana and chose some beachy colors. The ones I used were Bahama Blue, Green Tea, Tuscan Red, Desert Sand and Coral Blush. You will also need some pipe cleaners to match your paints, and some googly eyes.

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs steps

First, you’ll want to cut the cups down a bit, take off about an inch and a half. Paint the outside of each cup, add a second coat if you need it. For the crabs’ eyes, cut a beige colored pipe cleaner into 5 equal pieces. Repeat for another pipe cleaner giving you a total of 10 pieces. That’s enough for 5 crabs. Add a dab of white craft glue to the tip of each one and attach it to a googly eye and set them aside to dry.

how to assemble the sea crabs

For the crabs forearm claws, cut a pipe cleaner in half. Take one piece and bend it in half. Starting at the bend, twist the pipe cleaner together, leaving the last 3/4-inch open. Bend those two open pieces into a curve to create the claw. Repeat with the other pipe cleaner half. You will get two forearm claws from a single pipe cleaner.

For the legs, cut two more pipe cleaners into six equal pieces, you will get three pieces from each pipe cleaner. Bend the pieces in three places as pictures, kind of like an S shape. Use a toothpick to poke two holes in the front of the cup and insert the forearm claws. Secure with white glue. Use the toothpick to make three holes on each side of the cup and insert the legs, one pointing forward, the other two pointing back. Secure with white glue.

At the top of the cup, directly above the front claw arms, poke two holes for the eyes. Add a dab of glue and insert the eyes you made earlier. Let everything dry before displaying.

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs near pond

And remember, if you take these to the beach or outdoors, make sure to bring them home with you as to not litter on the beach!

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs in sand

If you would like to find more crafts like this, you can check out this paper plate sea crab or these adorable seashell creatures! Or, you can hop over to our beach crafts for kids section to find even more inspiration.

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs
Print Project
5 from 3 votes

Styrofoam Cup Sea Crabs

The kids will love making some adorable styrofoam cup sea crabs this summer!

Supplies

  • Styrofoam Cups
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Googly eyes
  • White craft glue
  • Scissors
  • Paintbrushes
  • Americana Craft Paint Colors: Bahama Blue, Green Tea, Tuscan Red, Desert Sand, Coral Blush

Instructions

  • First, you'll want to cut the cups down a bit, take off about an inch and a half. Paint the outside of each cup, add a second coat if you need it.
  • For the crabs' eyes, cut a beige colored pipe cleaner into 5 equal pieces. Repeat for another pipe cleaner giving you a total of 10 pieces. That's enough for 5 crabs.
  • Add a dab of white craft glue to the tip of each one and attach it to a googly eye and set them aside to dry.
  • For the crabs forearm claws, cut a pipe cleaner in half. Take one piece and bend it in half. Starting at the bend, twist the pipe cleaner together, leaving the last 3/4-inch open. Bend those two open pieces into a curve to create the claw. Repeat with the other pipe cleaner half. You will get two forearm claws from a single pipe cleaner.
  • For the legs, cut two more pipe cleaners into six equal pieces, you will get three pieces from each pipe cleaner. 
  • Bend the pieces in three places as pictures, kind of like an S shape. Use a toothpick to poke two holes in the front of the cup and insert the forearm claws. Secure with white glue.
  • Use the toothpick to make three holes on each side of the cup and insert the legs, one pointing forward, the other two pointing back. Secure with white glue.
  • At the top of the cup, directly above the front claw arms, poke two holes for the eyes. Add a dab of glue and insert the eyes you made earlier.
  • Let everything dry before displaying.

This post was originally published here on Jul 1, 2012

  • Author
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Amanda Davis
Amanda Davis is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years.
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Filed Under: Animal Crafts for Kids, Beach Crafts for Kids, Easy Crafts for Kids, Summer Crafts Tagged With: animals, beach, crab, kid's crafts, ocean, summer

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Comments

  1. kate says

    June 24, 2013 at 6:35 pm

    I love these:-)I want to make these myself!

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      June 25, 2013 at 9:49 am

      Thanks Kate! No shame in making them, have at it! :)

      Reply
  2. Trish Butler says

    June 11, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    These are adorable. I’m 67 and I want one. lol These will be great for my great grandbabies and the neighbor kids. Thank you for your time and talent.

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      June 13, 2013 at 8:33 am

      Thanks Trish! Nothing’s stopping you from making one for yourself! ;-)

      Reply
  3. Helena says

    June 6, 2013 at 3:23 am

    These are more than cute :-)
    Perfect idea to recycle my (1001!) Styrofoam soap cups that i get from takeaways. Pinned too.

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      June 7, 2013 at 8:32 pm

      Thanks Helena! I’m so glad you like them :)

      Reply
  4. kristine says

    July 10, 2012 at 10:12 am

    awesome..its so cute..
    actually,i wanna try it..

    Reply
  5. Melissa says

    July 8, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    I love this craft….hope its ok I blogged about this on my blog and referred back to your site!

    LOVE THIS
    Thanks…

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      July 16, 2012 at 3:27 pm

      Thanks Melissa, I appreciate the shout out!

      Reply
  6. Amber says

    July 8, 2012 at 8:39 pm

    My kids would love these!

    Reply
  7. Diane {Created by Diane} says

    July 2, 2012 at 6:01 pm

    so cute!!!

    Reply
  8. Kim says

    July 1, 2012 at 9:57 pm

    Ok..This one actually made me giggle. Very cute

    Reply
  9. amber says

    July 1, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    These are so cute!

    Reply
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