Bee Preschool Activities: Fun Ways To Explore Insect Life
Preparation
These activiites can be planned as part of a general insect theme or a specific study of bees. Use the suggestions here to show children that bees are an important part of nature.
Ask parents to send their children to school dressed in black and yellow clothes on “bee activity day”. Prepare the classroom by decorating bulletin boards with pictures of bees in action – collecting nectar from flowers, hovering around a hive, and making honey.
Building up to the day, read books or show videos about the life of a bee. Talk about different types of bees, and ask the children to name several ways in which bees are hard workers. Discuss the importance of not provoking bees so that they won’t sting!
Music and Movement Activities
Wearing their black and yellow attire, children can pretend to be buzzing bumblebees during these musical activities. For extra fun, set out a pop-up tent “hive” for the students to play in after participating in these music activities.
1) Sing Along Activity–“Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee”
Have the children cup their hands together as if they were carrying a baby bumblebee. Pull hands apart when the “bee” stings!
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
OUCH! It stung me!
2) Movement Activity–“Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)” by The Laurie Berkner Band
Many preschool children will recognize this popular bumblebee song from the Noggin channel. While the song is playing, the children can hold their bent arms against their bodies as “bee wings” and make buzzing noises as they dance around the room.
Bumblebee Craft
This bumblebee craft is made with construction paper and wax paper. The wax paper is used to give the bee wings an authentic look and feel.
Materials needed:
- Yellow construction paper cut into small circles (for bees’ heads)
- Yellow construction paper cut into ovals (for bees’ bodies)
- Black construction paper cut into stinger shape
- Black crayons or black washable markers
- Black pipe cleaners (2 per child)
- Wax paper cut into wing shape (2 per child)
- School glue or glue sticks
Directions:
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Give each preschooler a small yellow circle for the bee’s head and a yellow oval for the bee’s body. Show the children how to glue the head onto the body.
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Instruct the children to use a black crayon or washable marker to draw a face on the bee head and stripes across the body. The students should then glue a black stinger onto the bottom of the bee body.
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Give each child two black pipe cleaners for the bees’ antennae. Show the class how to glue to pipe cleaners to the top of the bees’ heads.
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Pass out two wax paper wings per child, and instruct the preschoolers to glue the wings onto the sides of the bee body. The wings should be attached to the back of the bee.
Beehive and Honey Lesson
For this lesson, teachers will need some close-up photographs of the exterior and interior of a beehive. Pass the pictures around the room and point out the honeycomb structure inside of the hive. Explain that bees use their hives as both a living space and a place to make honey from flower nectar.
During snack time, set out a jar of honey and spoon some onto each child’s plate for tasting. (Be certain in advance that none of the students have a honey allergy.)
At the end of the school day, present each child with a bee-shaped certificate that reads, “Thanks For Bee-ing Here Today!” Children will enjoy telling their families everything they have learned by participating in these special bee activity day.
More Bee Fun
The Bees of Classroom Managemen for PreK - 3: Know the Rules, Bee the Rules
