see also: Recipes for Storytime; http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/insects/crafts.htm
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me!
Oh, I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Buzz, a-buzz, a-buzz
Ouch, he stung me!
What do you suppose?
A bee sat on my nose!
Then what do you think?
He gave a little wink!
And he said, "I beg your pardon!"
I thought you were a garden!
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......
I am a little busy bee
Buzzing in the clover.
Here I go, there I go,
All the wide world over.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Fuzzy, wuzzy, creepy crawly,
Little caterpillar funny,
You will be a butterfly
When the days are sunny.
Winging, flinging, dancing, springing
Butterfly so yellow,
You were once a caterpillar
Wiggly, wiggly fellow.
--Lillian Schulz
Caterpillar creeping,
Caterpillar crawl.
Caterpillar climbing
All along the wall.
Caterpillar spinning,
Caterpillar snug.
Caterpillar changing,
What have you become?
(Say BUTTERFLY! And pretend to fly around room.)
A caterpillar crawled, all furry and brown,
Until it was time to lay itself down.
He spun a cocoon of silvery gray,
And slept all winter until a spring day.
The cocoon awoke when the sun came out,
Inside a creature stirred about.
Suddenly there appeared a head,
Looking down at the tulip bed.
And what should emerge and gaily fly,
But a beautiful, golden butterfly.
--Gloria T. Delamar
A caterpillar crawled to the top of a tree,
"I think I'll take a nap," said he.
So, under a leaf he began to creep,
To spin his cocoon, and he fell asleep.
All winter he slept in his cocoon bed.
'Til Spring came along, one day and said,
"Wake up, wake up, little sleepyhead.
"Wake up, it's time to get out of bed."
So, he opened his eyes that sunshiny day,
Lo! He was a butterfly, and flew away!
Little Arabella Miller
Found a woolly caterpillar.
First, it crawled upon her mother,
Then, upon her baby brother.
All said, “Arabella Miller,
“Take away that caterpillar!”
“Let’s go to sleep,” the little caterpillars said
As they tucked themselves into their beds.
They will awaken by and by.
And each will be a lovely butterfly.
“My stomach’s full of butterflies!” lamented Dora Diller.
Her mother sighed. “That is no surprise, You ate a caterpillar!”
--Jack Prelutsky
Away floats the butterfly.
To keep it I would never try.
The butterfly’s about to ‘light,
I would not catch it if I might.
--Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
Polly saw a butterfly that fluttered in the air,
It seemed to be enchanted as it fluttered here and there.
It fluttered by the hollyhocks, it fluttered by a rose,
It fluttered up to Polly’s face, and tickled Polly’s nose.
-- Jack Prelutsky
BENEATH A BLUE UMBRELLA
A butterfly came to visit me,
First, he landed on my knee,
Then, he tried to taste my toes!
Now, he’s sitting on my nose!
The grasshopper, the grasshopper,
I will explain to you:
He is the Brownies' race horse,
The fairies' kangaroo.
--Vachel Lindsay
On the top of a mountain.
A grass blade was growing,
And up it a cricket was busily climbing.
I said to him, “Cricket,
“Now where are you going?”
He answered me loudly,
“I’m going out dining!”
--Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
Flea (repeat)
Flea, fly (repeat)
Flea, fly, Mosquito (repeat)
Oh, no-no, no more mosquitoes (repeat)
Itchy, itchy-- scratchy, scratchy
Think I got one down my backy (repeat)
Beat that great big bug with the bug spray (repeat)
P-s-s-s-s
Relief at last.
The fly, the fly,
In the wink of an eye,
Can taste with his feet,
If the syrup is sweet.
Or the bacon is salty,
Oh, is it his fault he
Gets toast on his toes,
As he tastes as he goes?
--Norma Farber
The Beauty of the Beast, Prelutsky
Ladybug, ladybug,
Fly away home,
Your house is on fire,
Your children all gone;.
All except one,
And that’s little Ann,
She crept under
The frying pan.
Ladybug, ladybug,
Fly away do!
Fly to the mountain
To feed upon dew.
Feed upon dew,
And when you are through,
Ladybug, ladybug,
Fly home again, do!
--Chinese Mother Goose
I like to watch the ants at work,
When I am out at play.
I like to see them run about,
And carry crumbs away.
And when I plug an anthill door
To keep them in their den.
I like to see them find a way
To get outside again.
--Mary Ann Hoberman
Once I saw an ant hill
With no ants about,
So I said: “Dear little ants,
“Won’t you please come out?”
Then, as if the little ants
Had heard my call—
1-2-3-4-5 came out
And that was all!
Let's have a picnic (rub tummy)
I'll bring the cake. (point to self)
You bring the sandwiches, (point to another)
The best you can make.
After we eat, we'll play and dance. (dance around)
Picnic is over! Here come the ants! (run away)
I’m a spider, (hands arched, fingers down)
I spin, spin, spin (hands in spinning motion)
I spin big webs (move hands to show a big web)
To catch flies in! (Make snatching, catching motion)
(sing to: This Old Man)
Busy spider he made (1,2,3,4,5)
Great big web upon a/some _____
With a spin, spin, spin,
Round & round he goes.
He puts on quite a show.
--Jean Warren
Snail, snail, put out your horns (Make fist with thumb inside.)
And I’ll give you bread and barley corns. (Put out pinkie & pointer.)
Sammy snail is slowly moving,
See him slide across the grass.
He leaves a silver path behind him,
We all know when he has passed.
Sammy snail is never worried.
Though he wanders far and wide.
For on his back his house he carries,
And when he's tired he pops inside.
Shine, little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer.
Shine, little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer.
Lend us, lest too far we wander
Love’s sweet voice is calling yonder.
Shine, little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer.
Shine little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer.
Light the path, below, above.
And lead us on to love.
Winking, blinking, winking, blinking.
See that little light?
Now, it’s here,
Now, it’s there.
Now, it’s out of sight.
Winking, blinking, winking, blinking,
Fireflies at night.
(sing to: Wheels on the Bus)
The firefly at night goes blink, blink, blink,
Blink, blink, blink,
Blink, blink, blink.
The firefly at night goes blink, blink, blink,
All through the town.
*The bees in the flower goes buzz, buzz, buzz
*The ants in the grass go march, march, march
*The crickets on the leaves go chirp, chirp, chirp,
*The caterpillars in the field goes creep, creep, creep.
*The butterflies in the sky go flit, flit, flit.
*The worms in the ground they wiggle & squirm, wiggle & squirm, wiggle & squirm.
Just what makes that little old ant,
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant?
Anyone knows an ant, can't--
Move a rubber tree plant.
But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes,
Hes got high apple pie, in the sky hopes.
So any time your gettin low,
'Stead of lettin go,
Just remember that ant.
Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant!
--Frank Sinatra song
Five little bugs are sitting on a rug. (do appropriate actions/can also be made into flannel board story)
One is the bee. Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Two is the firefly. Blink, blink, blink!
Three is the ant. Work, work, work!
Four is the grasshopper. Hop, hop, hop!
Five is the butterfly. Flap, flap, flap!
Now five bugs are snug,All rolled up in a rug!
I'm a spider (hands arches, fingers down)
I spin, spin, spin (hands in spinning motion)
I spin big webs (move hand to show a big web)
To catch flies on! (make snatching, catching motion)
It begins with a grin,
It turn to a giggle,
You start to laugh.
Your legs start to wiggle.
You look all around for someone to hug,
Achoo! You've caught the love bug.
Ladybug
Caterpillar Races
Songs:
A Fly Went Into a Grocery Store
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
There's a Spider on the Floor (Raffi)
Flannel Board:
An Anansi Tale
The Fearsome Beast, THE FLANNEL BOARD STORYTELLING BOOK, Judy Sierra, pp.163-169 (2nd Edition)
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Extras: sandwiches; crafts; spider rings; thumbprint insects; Butterflies out of sandwich baggie with shredded/colored tissue paper, add pipe cleaner
BEE (ambitious, assertive, brave, clever, confident; courageous, curious, free, generous, helpful, honest, an individual, loyal, orderly, organized, patient, persistent, proud, responsible, trustworthy, prepared, creative, artistic, true, wonderful, sympathetic, on time, happy, a friend)
Books:
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz Went Bumblebee, Colin West, c.1996
The Big Bug Ball, Dee Lillegard, c.1999
Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie, Judy Sierra, c.2006