Honeybee Preschool Storytime Resources

On Friday, I helped the bee keepers at my kids' Montessori school prep the beehives for harvest. This inspired me to create a honeybee themed story time:)

Here are the resources I gathered, edited, and created to prepare for the story time.

Action Rhymes

“Honeybee, Honeybee”

Sung to: “Jingle Bells”

Honeybee, Honeybee landing on my nose. Honeybee, Honeybee, now he’s on my toes. On my arms, on my legs, on my elbows too. Honeybee, oh, Honeybee, he lands, and then he goes.

Honeybee, Honeybee, landing on my ear. Honeybee, Honeybee now he’s on my rear. On my arms, on my legs, on my elbows too. Honeybee, oh, Honeybee, he lands, then disappears.

“Honeybee, Honeybee”

To: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”

Honeybee, Honeybee Buzzing all around.

Honeybee, Honeybee Buzzing on the ground.

Honeybee, Honeybee Buzzing up so high.

Honeybee, Honeybee Buzzing in the sky.

Honeybee, Honeybee Buzzing past your toes.

Honeybee, Honeybee Buzzing on your nose.

“Do You Like To Buzz?” Sung to:"Do Your Ears Hang Low”

Do you like to buzz? Are you covered all in fuzz? Do you call a hive a home In the garden where you roam? Do you know how to make honey? Are your stripes a little funny? Do you like to buzz?

Books

Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier

Bee Dance by Rick Chrustowski

Fingerplays

“Here is the Beehive”

Here is a beehive. Where are the bees?

Hidden away where nobody sees.

Soon they come creeping out of the hive (have one bee peek out)

1-2-3-4-5! BUZZ! (bring each finger out as you count)

(Tickle your kiddo with the finger bees.)

“Two Big Beehives”

Two big beehives (Hold out two fists.)

Closed up tight,

Protecting sleeping bees (Rest head on hands.)

All through the night.

When the morning sun (Make circle with arms over head.)

Shows its light,

Ten little bees (Hold out two fists.)

Take to flight. (Open fists and wiggle fingers away.)

Flannels

“Six Little Bumblebees”

Six little bumblebees sitting on a hive

One flew away and then there were five

Five little bumblebees sitting on the floor

One flew away and then there were four

Four little bumblebees sitting in the tree

One flew away and then there were three

Three little bumblebees looking straight at you

One flew away and then there were two

Two little bumblebees sitting in the sun

One flew away and then there was one

One little bumblebee left all alone

He flew away, safe to his home!

“Five Little Bees”

One little bee flew and flew 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.

They found a friend quickly and that made four.

Four little bees going to the hive.

They spied their little brother and that made five.

Five little bees working every hour.

Busy, busy, bees on their way to find a flower.

Bye-bye bees!!

"Busy Bee, Busy Bee" Guessing Game

- Ask the kids to name the color of each flower flannel

- Ask them to close their eyes. No peeking!

- Hide the bee under a flower

- Ask them to open their eyes

- Say the following rhyme:

Busy bee, Busy bee

Where did you land?

Busy bee, Busy bee

Where did you land?

<Kids guess the color>

You think he landed under the <COLOR> flower?

Let’s see!

- If you have younger kids, take the flowers off the felt board as they are guessed until you find the bee

- If you have older kids, leave the flowers on after each one is guessed

Playlist

Bumblebee (Buzz, Buzz) by the Laurie Berkner Band

Honeybee by Dan Zanes

Honey Oh Bee by Angie Who -- could use as a circle walk song

Little Bee by Little Ripples

You Are My Flower by Elizabeth Mitchell

Extension Activities

Honey Play-doh Recipe

Here is what you will need:

• 2 tbsp Sue Bee® honey

• 2 cup flour (plus 1/4 cup to use later)

• 1/2 cup salt

• 2 tbsp cream of tartar

• 1 1/2 cup of boiling water

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Start off by mixing the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients, then slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry while stirring. If the mixture looks too moist, add the extra flour as needed. Begin kneading the dough on a cutting board or hard surface that has been dusted with flour. Continue kneading until it is soft and easy to mold. If it seems too dry, add a teaspoon of oil and knead it in until the desired consistency. If it is still too wet, add flour 1/4 cup at a time until it reaches desired consistency. When the kids are finished playing with the homemade play dough, store it in an air-tight container so you can use it for a few months.

One batch can be used by 3 preschoolers with a generous portion size. If you give smaller portions, you can stretch a batch to 4 preschoolers.

How it Went

Both books were a hit, but Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier had my kiddos in stitches. Bear doesn't realize he is speaking to a bee. In fact, he decides HE is a bee. Bee corrects him and both friends come together to share a taste of honey. A little bit existential, a little bit reminiscent of my favorite old-school picture book series Minerva Louise, this silliness of this one is appropriate for older preschoolers. Any younger, and they may not yet understand the humor.

Of all the songs, fingerplays, and actions rhymes, the Busy Bee, Busy Bee Guessing Game was by far the most exciting for the kids. We had many new faces in Preschool Storytime, so I opted to remove the guessed flowers from the flannel board myself. However, having children take turns guessing and removing a flower from the flannel board is a great way to involve them. When they engage in this game, they are practicing fine and gross motor skills, motor planning, color concepts, visual recognition, attention, and turn-taking.

Another favorite was "Here is the Beehive." This classic fingerplay hasn't lost it's appeal for the younger preschool audience. They love the engagement with their caregiver and the tickles and giggles that abound! I know not all children enjoy touch. To accommodate these children, I usually say somethings like "this fingerplay has tickling at the end" and "if your child doesn't enjoy tickling you can buzz your fingers like this" while showing them how to wiggle and buzz my five fingers.

Our play-doh extension activity was a huge hit. We played with no-cook honey play-doh and a variety of cookie cutters, cookie presses, honey dippers, yellow and gold gems, poms, pipe cleaners, and foam pieces. Our kiddos stayed engaged for 40 minutes after story time. During extension activities, I take the opportunity to sit and play with the kids and their caregivers. During play, we form some of the strongest social connections. I also model how to engage with the materials in developmentally appropriate ways. Stay tuned for a post on all the benefits of playing with play-doh!

Here's a video of the schools' bee hives and my favorite bee book titles!