With kids, everything can be a teachable moment and if they love the taste of lobster, these crafts are a fun way to pair a mini lesson of where their food comes from with easy paper and cardboard creations.
Red Paper Plate Lobster
Materials: Online map red paper plate, red paper fasteners, pipe cleaner, googly eyes
Lesson: The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is found on the Atlantic coast. This interactive map underscores the red color of the craft by displaying where the highest concentration of lobsters are in red, so you can see for yourself that Maine is the Lobster Capital of the world.
For the craft, cut out these shapes for the claws and the body of the lobster.
Lobster Cut and Paste Paper Craft
Materials: Red construction paper scissors, glue, brass tacks, template
Lesson: If you’ve ever thrown out a pile of lobster shells after a shore dinner, now there’s a way to re-use them. The exoskeleton (or shell) of lobsters contains a substance called “chitin,” which students in London have figured out a way to turn into planters, wallets, plastic bags, and more. Their hope is to re-use these shells to reduce plastic waste on the planet.
For the craft, start with this template, (which can be printed out) proceed to cut out the pieces, and follow instruction on putting it all together. To tie the lesson into the craft, gather all of your discarded paper pieces and recycle them at your local transfer station.
Lobster Origami
Materials: Red, yellow, blue or brown piece of craft paper, craft knife, magic marker
Lesson: Astute observers of the Maine lobster know that, unlike the cartoony, bright red crustacean that often appears in marketing materials, live lobster has a range of unusual colors as we explain in our blog The Rarest Color of Lobsters. Find out why these pigments help conceal the lobsters from predators on the ocean floor.
For the craft, consult this YouTube guide to show step-by-step how to fold an origami lobster, using a piece of paper. (Note although the narration is not in English, the visual steps are simple to follow.)
For more fun facts on lobster and why we love getting kids involved in the five-day event, visit Maine Lobster Festival “like” them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter at @MELobsterFest.
