Preschool Storytime - Bugs and Insects

Opening
We Are Here Together - based on I Am Here & You Are Here by Peter & Ellen Allard from Sing it! Say it! Stamp it! Sway it! Vol. 3
I am here and you are here
and we are here together.
I am here and you are here
and we’re gonna clap our hands.
I am here and you are here
and we’re gonna stomp our feet.
I am here and you are here
and we’re gonna jump up and down.
I am here and you are here
and we are here together.
I am here and you are here
and we’re gonna have some fun.

Books
Some Bugs by Angela Diterlizzi
I Love Bugs by Philemon Sturges,
Can You Make a Scary Face by Jan Thomas


Songs
Flitter Flutter by Johnette Downing The Second Line – Scarf Activity Songs
Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi - More Singable Songs
Took a Bath In a Washing Machine by Jim Gill - Jim Gill Sings The Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes

Felt
Bug in a Rug Game 
I've seen printable versions of this game where its several different types of bugs (Storytiming - Flannel Friday: Bug In A Rug). I play this with with kids using a felt set I found.  I added a few more ants and then glued together a rug.  The idea is to introduce all the colors first.  Then the kids have to cover their eyes so you can use the rug to hide a bug.  When you say rhyme they must open their eyes and tell you what color is gone.  If you think your group is peeking you turn your felt board around.  My felt board likes to collapse randomly so to hide what I am doing I will step in front of the  board limit the view.

Bug in a rug, bug in a rug
what color bug is under the rug?

Green ant lost his antenna
 but that didn't stop red and purple ant from playing hide and seek.

Five Flashing Fireflies
I wanted to incorporate fire flies after reading the post on Catch the Possibilities called Flannel Friday: Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges.  I saw this theme again in a Library Village post called Preschool Story Time - Fireflies. I was lucky enough to find a cute set of fireflies in our collection of felt boards, so as charming as these guys are I cannot take credit for them.  Of course I can't take credit for the cute rhyme which is based off the Philemon Sturges' book Ten Flashing Fireflies. I hope you don't think the rhyme is too much of a tongue twister.  I found myself saying 'flashing flyer flies' a lot. 

What do you see on a summer night?
5 flashing fireflies burning bright.
Let's catch the one that's twinkling light a star.
Now there is one firefly in our jar. 

Just repeat the rhyme and count down as you go.  


Egg Shakers
Both songs are from Give Your Storytime a Shake on JBrary.

If You're Happy and You Know It
if you’re happy and you know it give a shake
if you’re happy and you know it give a shake
if you’re happy and you know it give a shake
if you’re happy you know it and you really want to show it
if you’re happy and you it give a shake
clap – tap

Everyone can Shake, Shake, Shake
everyone can shake shake shake
everyone can shake shake shake
everyone can shake shake shake shake
and now lets make a stop
tap – clap – wave

Closing – tune farmer in the dell
Borrowed from Opening/Closing Songs on Storytime Katie who borrowed it from Rhymes for Toddlers on Sunflower Storytime.

We clap our hands like this
We clap our hands like this
We clap our hands with all of our friends
We clap our hands like this.

We blow a kiss like this
We blow a kiss like this
We blow a kiss with all of our friends
We blow a kiss like this.

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye with all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this. 

After our song I gave each child a large Ellison die cut beetle to color.  A large number of the kids tore some or all of the legs off their insect within a few minutes.  I rather like my big orange buggy.  I pretended to use his mandibles to pick my nose while standing in front of my boss's office.  If your boss is on the phone when you do this be prepared to scurry away quickly when the call ends.

Laura

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