Bzzzzzz! A Busy Bee and Bugs Storytime for 2s and 3s!

This storytime focuses on bees and bugs! This is a nice theme for storytime for this age because children love to make bug noises! At the beginning of this storytime, I greeted the children at the door with a bee puppet and after the children got their name tags on, I went around saying hi to each child. This helps me get to know the child and allows them to get to know me. After a while, they begin to feel more comfortable in storytime because of this!

1. Intro Song: Hands are for Clapping by Jim Gill on the CD Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes

1. Regular Opening Song (to tune of the Mulberry Bush)

This is the way our hands say hello,
With a clap, clap-clap, Clap, clap-clap
This the way our hands say hello,
With a clap, clap-clap, clap-clap

This is the way our knees say hello,
With a tap tap-tap,
Tap tap-tap
This is the way our knees say hello,
With a tap tap-tap, tap-tap

This is the way we wave hello,
Wave hello, wave hello
This is the way we wave hello,
So early in the morning

2. Book: In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming

3. Flannelboard: Bugs in the Yard

The Bugs in the Garden
(to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus")

The ladybugs on the plants have lots of spots
Lots of spots, lots of spots.
The ladybugs on the plants have lots of spots
Out in the yard.

The fireflies at night go blink, blink, blink
link, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink.
The fireflies at night go blink, blink, blink
Out in the garden.

The bees in the flowers go buzz, buzz, buzz
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
The bees in the flowers go buzz, buzz, buzz
Out in the garden

The crickets in the fields go chirp, chirp, chirp
chirp, chirp, chirp.
The crickets in the fields go chirp, chirp, chirp
Out in the yard.

The ants in the grass go march, march, march
March, march, march, march, march, march.
The ants in the grass go march, march, march
Out in the yard

The caterpillars on the leaves go munch, munch, munch
Munch, munch, munch, munch, munch, munch
The caterpillars on the leaves go munch, munch, munch
Out in the yard.

The spiders in the bush, they spin their webs
spin their webs, spin their webs.
The spiders in the bush, they spin their webs
Out in the yard.

The butterflies in the sky go flit, flit, flit
Flit, flit, flit, flit, flit, flit.
The butterflies in the sky go flit, flit, flit
Out in the yard.

The worms in the ground, wiggle and squirm
Wiggle and squirm, wiggle and squirm.
The worms in the gruond, wiggle and squirm
Out in the yard.


4. Song: Bugs Bugs Bugs on the CD Go, Go Animals! by the Monkeydoos. This song is fun and is about how itchy bugs are. A snippet of the lyrics: Now I'm scratching my head, my nose, and my ears, and now I'm scratching my legs, ankles and toes, etc.


5. Book: Big Bugs! Giant Creepy Crawly Pop-Ups written by Keith Faulkner, Illustrated by Stephen Holmes, paper engineering by Jonathan Lambert

Kids were so wound up after hearing the Bugs Bugs Bugs song but the beautiful pop-ups in this book got their attention back, thankfully! Suddenly the room was quiet again as the children looked at the bugs in amazement. I love this book too because it has facts you can read about each bug so it also has a non-fiction component which is great!!

6. Flannelboard Story: Buzz Said the Bee by Wendy Cheyette Lewison

This is actually a level 1 reader but has been translated into a really cute flannelboard story! The kids love acting out the animal sounds.

Once there was a bee who sat on a DUCK.
"Quack," said the duck.
"There's a bee on me."
And the duck said, "Scat," but the bee just sat.
So the duck quacked again and sat on a HEN.

"CLUCK," said the hen.
"There's a duck on me."
And then hen said, "Scat," but the duck just sat.
So the hen danced a jig and sat on a PIG.

"Oink," said the pig.
"There's a hen on me."
And the pig said, "Scat," but then the hen just sat.
So the pig took a bow and sat on a COW.

"Moo," said the cow.
"There's a pig on me."
And the cow said, "Scat," but the pig just sat.
The cow began to weep and sat on a SHEEP who was fast asleep.

So the cow said, "MOO,"
And the pig said, "OINK,"
And the hen said, "CLUCK,"
And the duck said, "QUACK,"
Then the bee said, "BUZZZZ-Z-Z-Z-Z!"
And that's all there was.

 

7. Closing Song (to tune of the Mulberry Bush)

This is the way our hands say goodbye,
With a clap clap-clap,Clap, clap-clap
This is the way our hands say goodbye,
With a clap clap-clap, clap-clap

This is the way our knees say goodbye,
With a tap, tap-tap,Tap tap-tap
This is the way our knees say goodbye,
With a tap tap-tap, tap-tap

This is the way we wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye,
This is the way we wave goodbye,
Goodbye until next time

8. Give a bug stamp at the end! We had a ladybug and a bee one.

Other books to consider:

Snug As a Bug by Michael Elsohn Ross, Illustrated by Sylvia Long

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, Went Bumblebee by Colin West

Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? A Garden Guessing Game by Anne Rockwell

 

Other bug flannelboard stories:

 

 

Five Little Bees (author unknown)

One little bee blew and flew.
He met a friend, and that made two.
Two little bees, busy as could be—
Along came another and that made three.
Three little bees, wanted one more,
Found one soon and that made four.
Four little bees, going to the hive.
Spied their little brother, and that made five.
Five little bees working every hour—
Buzz away, bees, and find another flower.

Brilliant Butterflies by Susan M. Paprocki 

The first to come to the garden bed
Was a lovely butterfly of brilliant red.

Then in comes another and that makes two,
Fly right in, my friend of blue.

"The garden is fine, the best I’ve seen,"
Said the butterfly of springtime green.

Dressed so fine in a butterfly gown,
Flew in another, the color of brown.

The garden needs a sunshiny fellow,
So fly right in if your wings are yellow.

I love the colors, they’re a glorious sight,
But one thing for sure, we need some white.

And where is its opposite? Come join the pack,
For what a fine gift is the color black.

This is perfect I really do think,
If only you’d join, butterfly of pink.

Little friend of purple, take a place too,
This garden is a perfect spot for a color like you.

Orange, orange, you’ve waited so long.
Fly right in, where you belong.

Butterflies, butterflies, you’re such a sight.
Flying together in springtime delight.