Don't Worry, Little Crab

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Take the .5 in. X 2 in. paper and lay on top of one of the “U” shape papers. Cut to the size of the bottom of the “U” (see picture H). This will be the base of the eyes. Do the same to the other “U” shape. When Little Crab and Very Big Crab first set out from their tide pool, headed to the ocean, Little Crab is full of confidence. “I can go anywhere!”

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Little Crab’s story is full of hope, and it could also be a way into talking to kids about fears they may have right now as well as the stuff that’s potentially still there in every moment even as there is so much anxiety and unknown and tragedy—little bits of beauty, the natural world, and their own ability to weather the waves. Cut the corners of your 3 in. x 4 in. paper diagonally with the top corners being slightly bigger than the bottom like in picture A. The cut doesn’t have to be perfect—imperfections add character! Now, let’s do the same steps again to create the smaller crab. All you have to do is cut the leftover colored paper, only smaller sizes this time. You can make the pieces about 1 inch smaller than the big crab or even smaller if you’d like. When you get to Step 7, try drawing the eyes at a different spot than your big crab so they can look at each other or at different places. Watch the story read aloud by Tom Hardy Watch a performance from Little Angel Theatre Company in Association with Folder Feather Things to make and do Play the story There are more waves. There is more holding tight. There is more whoosh and swoop and hurtling. But Very Big Crab tells Little Crab that they’re together. That it will be OK.Take the 2 in. x 4 in. paper and fold in half horizontally (see picture B). Cut a triangle shape in the middle of the open end, away from the folded side, like in picture C. Cut about to halfway of the paper so the claw will look big enough. Tip: If you feel like the claws are too big for the body, you can shape to your desired size by trimming the sides. Lastly, cut the folded part of the paper to make 2 claws, see picture D. Put the pieces aside. There are lots of words about size in the story – little, big, bigger, huge, enormous – talk about these words – Very Big Crab is bigger than Little Crab, you are bigger than your baby brother, the waves were enormous an elephant is huge etc Take one of the .75 in. x 4 in. papers and fold each one into a “V” shape (see picture E). Do the same to the other piece. Set aside. But then the first wave comes. “WHOOSH!” Turns out, the sea is very big, a lot bigger than Very Big Crab. And pretty scary, too. Little Crab doesn’t like it.

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From the award-winning creator of Shh! We Have a Plan comes a vibrantly colorful story about mustering the courage to try something new. Cut pieces of your colored paper to sizes below. Save the scraps for the Little Crab later; you’ll need the same colored paper. simple, colorful way to talk about feelings with our littles and how sometimes things are not as we thought. I hope you’ll enjoy the process of making this craft and have fun with the end Read the story aloud to your child pausing to talk about what is happening in the story or illustrations when your child wants to. Join in Step 4. Now for the eyes.Take the 2 in. X 2 in. square paper and fold in half. Draw a long upside down “U” shape like in photo F. Keep the paper folded and cut the “U” shape out (see picture G). You should now have 2 pieces of “U” shaped paper.When children become familiar with the story encourage children to join in for example with the sound effects on their journey to the sea ‘tic-a-tac,’ ‘splish-splash,’ ‘squelch-squelch’ and the ‘whoosh’ of the waves. Talk about the book Now it’s time to draw in the eyes; see picture J. Think of where you’d like the crab to look—are they looking up or looking down? Place the dots where you’d like the big crab to look.

Don’t Worry, Little Crab | By, Chris Haughton | read aloud Don’t Worry, Little Crab | By, Chris Haughton | read aloud

Chris Haughton is the creator of many acclaimed picture books, including Little Owl Lost; Oh No, George!; Shh! We Have a Plan; and Goodnight Everyone. He has taught many courses in design and illustration around the world, and in 2007 was named one of Time magazine’s DESIGN 100 for his work for Fair Trade and People Tree. Originally from Dublin, Chris Haughton now lives in London. sheets of 8.5 x 11 colored paper in different colors. Suggestions would be fuchsia, violet, purple, yellow and orange.Look again at the bright colours in the undersea illustrations. Give your child a large piece of paper and some brightly coloured paint or crayons. If using paint, your child could help you mix oranges and greens. Then suggest they make their own colourful under the sea picture. Make a huge tower Hope you enjoyed this craft activity. I hope that you and a loved one can do it together and use it to talk about feelings during these unprecedented times. Even though some new things could be scary at first, if you keep giving it a try, you might find new and exciting ways to have an adventure. And then, they dive under the very biggest wave. The feeling captured is so familiar to anyone who’s had the good fortune of being at the ocean, of diving into and under a wave, of the anticipation and apprehension of not knowing exactly what will happen next. Of hoping that in being swallowed up, you are still somehow safe. Not only is it a masterful story illustrated with striking, vivid art, it’s also an exploration of fear and of what it’s like to take little steps through fear. Little Crab shows us that everyone has the capacity to be stronger and braver than they think they are, to take on new challenges, and to experience gratification and growth around navigating waves and charting new waters.