A House for Hermit Crab Script—CI 447
Setting—The ocean floor
Props—costumes for each character.
Hermit crab—red t-shirt and card board shell
Larger shell to move in to
All other characters—cardboard cut out in shape of animal
Extra shells
Electronic background for each scene
Narrator—Stephanie
Large Hermit Crab—Brittany T
Sea Anemone—Jennifer
Star Fish—Amy
Coral—Chelsea
Snail—Brittany L
Sea Urchins—Jennifer
Lantern Fish—Amy
Pebbles—Chelsea
Small Hermit Crab—Brittany L
Narrator—One day in January Hermit Crab decided it was time to move.
Hermit Crab—I’ve grown too big for this little shell. I must find a new house soon.
Narrator—Early in February, Hermit Crab found just the house he was looking for. It was a big strong
shell.
Hermit Crab—This shell is much bigger but it looks so plain.
Narrator—In March, Hermit Crab met some sea anemones. They were swaying back and forth in the
water.
Hermit Crab—How beautiful you are! Would you be willing to come and live on my house. It is so plain
and you would make it very beautiful.
Sea Anemone—I’ll come.
Narrator—In April, Hermit Crab passed a flock of starfish moving slowly on the sea floor.
Hermit Crab—How handsome you are! Would you be willing to decorate my house?
Sea Star—I would!
Narrator--In May, Hermit Crab discovered some coral but they were hard and didn’t move.
Hermit Crab—How pretty you are! Would you be willing to help make my house more beautiful?
Coral—I would
Narrator--In June, Hermit Crab came to a group of snails crawling over a rock on the ocean floor. They
grazed as they went, picking up algae and bits of debris, and leaving a net path behind them.
Hermit Crab—How tidy and hard-working you are! Would you be willing to come and help clean my
house?
Snail—I would
Narrator--In July, Hermit Crab came up on several sea urchins. They had sharp, prickly needles.
Hermit Crab—How fierce you look! Would you be willing to protect my house?
Sea Urchin—I would
Narrator—In August, Hermit Crab and his friends wandered into a forest of seaweed.
Hermit Crab—It’s so dark, dim, and gloomy in here! It’s like nighttime and I can’t see anything!
Narrator—In September, Hermit Crab spotted a school of lantern fish darting through the dark water.
Hermit Crab—How bright you are! Would you be willing to light up our house?
Lanternfish—I would!
Narrator—In October, Hermit Crab approached a pile of smooth pebbles.
Hermit Crab—How sturdy you are! Would you mind if I rearranged you?
Pebbles—Not at all!
Narrator—Hermit Crab picked them up and built a wall around his shell.
Hermit Crab—Now my house is perfect!
Narrator—But, in November, Hermit Crab felt that his shell seemed a bit too small. Little by little, over
the year, Hermit Crab had grown. Soon he would have to find another, bigger home. But he had come to
love all of his new friends.
Hermit Crab—They have been so good to me. They are like a family. How can I ever leave them?
Narrator—In December, a smaller hermit crab passed by.
Small Hermit Crab—I have outgrown my shell. Would you know of a place for me?
Large Hermit Crab—I have outgrown my house too. I must move on. You are welcome to live here- but
you must promise to be good to my friends.
Small Hermit Crab—I promise!
Narrator—The following January, Hermit Crab stepped out and the little crab moved in.
Large Hermit Crab—Couldn’t stay in that little shell forever.
Narrator—The ocean floor seemed much larger than he remembered but Hermit Crab wasn’t afraid.
Soon he spied the perfect house-a big, empty shell. It looked, well, a little plain, but…
Large Hermit Crab—Sponges! Barnacles! Clown fish! Sand dollars! Electric eels! Oh, there are so many
possibilities! I can’t wait to get started!