* Here a short song about bugs:
 
 To the tune of "frere Jacques"
 Big bug, small bugs
 Big bugs, small bugs
 see them crawl 
 On the wall
 Never, never falling.
 Bugs, bugs, bugs
 
 
 
 A Fingerplay
 
 1, 2, 3  ( hold up fingers)
 Theres a bug on me! (point to shoulder)
 Where did it go? ( brush off)
 I don't know ( Shrug Shoulder and look really puzzled) 

*  Bugs
 
 June bug, stinkbug,
 Ladybug, chinch bug,
 Water bug, pink bug,
 Please-don't-pinch bug!
 
 Horsefly, housefly,
 Dragonfly, deer fly,
 Firefly, fruit fly,
 Buzzing-in-your-ear fly!
 
 Honeybee, bumblebee,
 Queen bee, drone bee,
 Worker bee, nurse bee,
 Leave-me-alone bee!
 
 Gypsy moth, luna moth,
 Beetle and mosquito,
 Bugs and insects
 Really are neat-o!
 
 Cockroach, katydid,
 Cricket and cicada,
 Grasshopper, mantid,
 Catch you all later!

*  CATERPILLAR CHANT
 
 A caterpillar looks so small.
 It is hardly there at all.
 It munches on green leafy treats,
 And it gets bigger as it eats.
 
 It eats and eats, 'til pretty soon,
 It wraps up tight in a cocoon.
 When it wakes up it blinks its eyes
 And says, "I'm now a butterfly!"
 
 BUTTERFLY CHANT
 
 A burst of blue,
 A shock of green,
 A flap of wings is all that's seen.
 A flutter in the flower beds,
 A burst of blue,
 A bit of red,
 A whisper as it flutters by,
 You're oh so pretty, butterfly.
 
 ~Fold a piece of paper and have the children cut out a butterfly 
 shape.
 Provide crayons and markers for hcildren to use to decorate their 
 butterfly wings.  Children can also use glitter to make their 
 butterflies sparkle
 Glue or tape two bent pipe cleaners to the back of the butterfly to 
 make antennae.
 
 ~Children can wrap each other in toilet paper (excluding their head) 
 so they can feel what it would be like to be a caterpillar in a 
 cocoon.  Have them close their eyes and imagine that they are about to 
 become butterflies.
 Have them stretch their "wings" and tear through the toilet papter 
 cocoons.
 Recycle toilet paper to be used with a different project!
 
 BUTTERFLY RELAY RACE
 
 Cut out flower shapes from construction paper.
 Set or tape the flowers along one wall of the room.
 Divide children into three or four person relay teams.
 Have the children stand opposite the wall of flowers.
 Explain that the goal of the game is to "fly" to  a flower, tag it, 
 and fly back to the team.  Each butterfly in turn takes a turn, until 
 everyone on a team has touched a flower.

*  Read Eric Carle's the hungry caterpillar.
 
 Make a caterpillar out of an old sock.
 
 I put goggly eyes on ours, with a pom pom nose and use 1/2 pipe cleaner for
anteni.
 Make a construction paper butterfly to fit in the palm of you hand.  
 Make sure the butterfly is the color of the sock. We decorated ours with
large round sequins and colored them on both sides.  We made the socks one
day, the butterfly the next day, and in language I read the story using
flanel board fruits, and acted out the story. 
 
 Telling the story:
 
 place the butterfly in palm of your hand, put the sock caterpillar on over
the hand.  
 Tell the story eating the flanel pieces off the board.  When he spins his
cocun pull the top part of sock (cuff ) over your hand to cover the
caterpillar. (but do not take sock off).  Notice how fat the caterpillar got.
 Then in spring take the sock off and a beautiful butterfly is there.  My
kids love it.  They said they were doing magic.  
 
 It was a big hit and we all had to do it everyday in language until the took
them home on friday.

*  Today we were looking through some papers and with a few changes to THE
WHEELS ON THE BUS  came up with this song about bugs and the kids wanted to
sing it all day
 
 THE INSECTS OUTSIDE
 
 The fireflies at night go blink, blink, blink
 Blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink
 The fireflies at night go blink, blink, blink
 Out in the garden.
 
 The bees in the flowers go buzz, buzz, buzz
 Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz
 The bees in the flowers go buzz, buzz, buzz
 Out in the garden
 
 continue with the other verses as criket/feilds/ chirp
 ants/in the grass/march
 caterpillars/on the leaves/munch
 spiders/in the bush/ spin their webs
 butterflies in the sky/go flit, 
 ladybug on the wall/ have lots of spots
 worms/in the ground/ wiggle and squirm
 mosquitos outside/ they get smacked

*  Wiggly Wriggly Caterpillar
 
 Wiggly wriggly caterpillar (forefingers flat on desk,hump them and flatten
 them alternately, in motion of a caterpillar)
 Crawling on the ground;
 Someday  you'll be a butterfly (hook thumbs together, wave fingers in motion
 of butterfly wings)
 Flitting all around
 But first into your small cocoon (cup hands together to form cocoon)
 You shall have to creep (repeat first action)
 And there through stormy winter months
 All curled up you'll sleep (head resting on hands, sleeping)
 
         My Pets
 
 I have 5 pets that I'd like you to meet
 They all live with me on Mulberry Street (Hold up 1 hand)
 This is my chicken, the smallest of all
 He comes a-running whenever I call (Point to little finger)
 This is mt duckling.  He says, Quack, Quack, Quack
 As he shakes the water from off his back. (next finger)
 Here is my rabbit. He runs from his pen.
 Then I must put him back in it again (middle finger)
 This is my kitten.  Her coat's black and white.
 She loves to sleep on a pillow at night. (index finger)
 Hereis my puppy who has lots of FUN!!!!(thumb)
 He chases the others and makes them run. (move thumb slowly and fingers
 rapidly.)