Bees!

We want some warm weather here---we want the bees out and buzzing about before all the blossoms fall off the trees. So we tried to get them some better weather today by talking about bees and doing a bee rhyme and a bee craft.

Both books had bees in them: What Did You Do Today? by Kerry Arquette, and Wiggle, by Doreen Cronin. The kids had lots of wiggles in them, and we tried to get them out by singing and dancing, but it just made them more wiggly. As Katie Couric has reported, shaking your sillies out just makes you sillier. You can't wiggle your waggles away.

Our flannelboard rhyme went like this:

Ten buzzing bees, flying near a gate,
Two flew away and then there were eight.
Eight buzzing bees, flying near some sticks,
Two flew away and then there were six.
Six buzzing bees, flying near a flower,
Two flew away and then there were four.
Four buzzing bees, flying in the blue,
Two flew away and then there weretwo.
Two buzzing bees, flying near the sun,
Two flew away and then there were none!

Our craft was a clever little circular bee. I wish I could remember where I got this idea so I could acknowledge it.  You will need:

1 large strip of yellow construction paper (3" x 12")
Several small strips of black paper for stripes and one cut with a point for a stinger
2 wiggly eyes
wax paper wings
string for hanging
glue, stapler

Lay the yellow piece of paper down on the table and glue on the stripes, leaving room in the middle to put a face. You can glue on the stinger on the bottom at the same time.

Roll the paper up and glue or staple the ends together. Bend the stinger so it points straight out.

The wings were cut out of one piece of folded wax paper. Cut one set of wings, then spread them apart and staple them on top of the bee. Staple on a loop of string or yarn at the same time.

Run around flying the bee behind you or hang up somewhere around the house. And don't forget:  Bee smart! Bee a reader!