Introduction: Bugs can solicit a lot of different reactions from kids. Some love them, some are afraid and some like to look but not touch thank-you-very-much. So we use this opportunity to talk about insect friends and what some of their purposes are. I make sure to hit on worms and bees and a couple others before singing our opening song.
Sign of the Day: Couldn’t help doing more than one with this storytime! We learned “bug,” “bee,” and “spider.” Images from https://www.babysignlanguage.com/
Book: A Way With Wild Things by Larissa Theule
Such a cute book about a little girl who prefers the company of nature and bugs. This book has so much fantastic vocabulary and is sure to be relatable to children who feel a bit shy.
Rhyme: Little Miss Ladybug. I use a little ladybug puppet to do this one.
Little Miss Ladybug, sitting on a tree,
(Spread arms out like tree branches)
She flew down and landed on my knee
(tap knee)
She asked me if I wanted to play,
(point to self)
But I said “no,” so she flew away!
(move hand to fly away)
Song: Can You Move Like Me? (Tune: Do Your Ears Hang Low)
Can you wiggle like a worm?
Can you squiggle can you squirm?
Can you flutter, can you fly,
Like a gentle butterfly?
Can you crawl upon the ground
Like a beetle that is round?
Can you move like me?
Book: Big Bug by Henry Cole.
I love the theme of perceptions in this book, how things go from small to big depending on the perspective. Very short and sweet, so it’s great to bolster storytime with a toddler book.
Rhyme: Bees Fly High
Here is the beehive (make fist)
But where are all the bees? (shrug)
They’re hiding inside, where no one can see. (peek inside fist)
Here they come, out of the hive. (make hand vibrate)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5! (pull out fingers, one by one)
Bees fly high (Wiggle fingers high), Bees fly low (Wiggle fingers low)
Bees fly fast (Wiggle fingers fast), Bees fly slow (Wiggle fingers slow)
Back to the hive! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5! (Pull fingers in, one by one)
Felt: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
For this felt story, we have drawn the items the caterpillar eats onto 8×11 pieces of paper with a hole in the middle before laminating them. Then, we have kids come up to the front of the room to feed the food to the caterpillar (which is represented by my arm with a green striped sock and some googly eyes). The picture to the left from Busy Crafting Mommy is similar to the pieces I use.
Closing: Before singing our closing song, we review some of our ASL signs and then say goodbye!
More Books to Check Out:
Librarian Ginny 