The Bugs Go
Tune: The Wheels on the Bus
The little honey bees go buzz-buzz-buzz, buzz-buzz-buzz, buzz-buzz-buzz.
The little honey bees go buzz-buzz-buzz, all the day long.
The crickets in the grass go hop-hop-hop, hop-hop-hop, hop-hop-hop.
The crickets in the grass go hop-hop-hop, all the day long.
The chubby caterpillars go munch-munch-munch, munch-munch--munch, munch-munch-munch.
The chubby caterpillars go' munch-munch-munch, all the day long.
The little black spiders go creepy-creepy-crawly, creepy-creepy-crawly, creepy-creepy-crawly. The little black spiders go creepy-creepy-crawly, all the day long.


I Know an Old Lady
(If possible, read the story first. Then sing the traditional verses of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Next, sing the song replacing the animals in the original version with bugs.)
I know an old lady, who swallowed a fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
I know an old lady, who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and wriggled and jiggled inside her, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
I know an old lady, who swallowed a cricket,
That jumped and hopped and bounced inside her
She swallowed the cricket to catch the spider,
That wriggled and wriggled and jiggled inside her, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

Shiny Green Bug
Tune: "Little White Duck
Chorus:
There's a shiny green bug
Sittin' by the water.
A shiny green bug
Doin' what she oughter.
Verse One:
Her special name is dragonfly
She stares at you with her great, big eye.
Repeat chorus above
Verse Two:
She lays her eggs near a clear, wet pool.
And she sits on a stem looking like a jewel.
Repeat chorus
Verse Three:
She flies in the air searching for her lunch.
And she grabs an insect for a tasty munch!
Repeat chorus
words by Andra Christenson



Old Mac Buggy
(Here's a buggy version of Old MacDonald Had a Farm.)
Old MacDonald had a bee, e-i-e-i-o.
And on this bee there were some wings, e-i-e-i-o.
With a buzz-buzz here. and a buzz-buzz there.
Here a buzz, there a buzz, everywhere a buzz-buzz.
Old MacDonald had a bee, e-i--e-i-o!
Old MacDonald had a grasshopper, e-i-e-i-o.
And on this grasshopper were some legs, e-i-e-i-o.
With a hop--hop here and a hop-hop there.
Here a hop, there a hop everywhere a hop-hop.
Old MacDonald had a grasshopper, e-i-e-i-o!


Insects All Around
Whether looking in the air or on the ground,
It always seems that insects are around.
Even though I wouldn't want one as a pet,
Let's not do away with them all just yet.
Some insects are helpful to you and me,
Like the homey made by a little ol' bee.
Others are pretty just flying in the air,
Like a butterfly floating without a care.
When the web of a spider is spun just so,
You know there is a fly about to go
And when there is a dragonfly darting along,
The mosquitoes around are singing their last song.
While a fire ant is very is very dangerous to touch,
It'll take of termites, ticks and such.
When bad bugs will not let vegetable grow,
The ladybug is a very good insect to know.
Even though insects are not pretty to see,
Many are helpful to you and me.
It's still not safe to reach down and touch,
But to the helpful bugs-thank you very much!



It's an Insect
Tune: "My Darling Clementine"
It's an insect not a spider
It has six legs instead of eight.
3 on this side
3 on that side and
It's crawling on my plate.
by Karen Adler & Andra Christenson

I'm An Insect
Children will have lots of fun participating on the silly chorus, "BA DOO BA DOO." This should be chanted in almost a singing manner, with each "DOO' stressed: BA DOO' BA DOO'. Practice reading the poem ahead of time to develop a swingy rhythm. The class can soon join in on the last two lines of each stanza. Students can also act out the actions in the second line of the last stanza.
BA DOO BA DOO
I m an insect just a crawlin' around
BA DOO BA DOO
I'm an insect with six legs on the ground
BA DOO BA DOO
I'm an insect, just an insect
I'm an insect just a crawlin' around!
BA DOO BA DOO
My body's made up of 3 main parts
BA DOO BA DOO
Head, thorax and abdomen
BA DOO BA DOO
I'm an insect, just an insect
I'm an insect just a crawlin' around!
BA DOO BA DOO
Hop and jump and fly and buzz up and down
BA DOO BA DOO
Use my antennae for feeling the ground
BA DOO BA DOO
I'm an insect, just an insect
I'm an insect just a crawlin' around.

CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP

Karen Adler
Cricket
I'm taking home a little cricket.
I found him in a grassy thicket.
My cricket won't sting,
But he loves to sing,
My cute little cricket
I found in a thicket.
Cricket Song
Cricket, cricket,
Chirping in the night.
Rub your wings together,
Rub with all your might.
Can you hear me singing?
I'll try to answer you.
Perhaps we'll find each other
Before the night is through.
The sky is dark above me,
And yet I have no fear.
Soft and cheerful cricket sounds
Say that a friend is near.

The Ants Go Marching - After the children have firsthand experience watching ants, they'll enjoy singing that old favorite from everybody's childhood, "The Ants Go Marching." Have fun making up your own verses-a great way to practice rhyming!

I've Been Working in an Anthill
Tune: I've Been Working on the Railroad
I've been working in an anthill,
All the live-long day.
I've been working in an anthill,
I have no time to play.
Lots of dirt to move around here,
Lots of food to find and store.
We must get our city ready,
Before winter comes once more.

Tunnel through the ground,
Tunnel through the ground,
Tunnel through the ground,
To make a new chamber.
Tunnel through the ground,
Tunnel through the ground,
Let's dig a room for the queen.

Ladybugs...
Lady bug, lady bug,
How are you today?
Lady bug, lady bug,
Are you going to stay?
Lady bug, lady bug,
Or will you fly away.

Ladybugs Fly...
(Three Blind Mice)
Fly, fly, fly.
Ladybugs fly..
Fly over here.
Fly over there.
They fly up high and they fly down low.
Around and around and around they go.
They fly fast, and they fly-fly slow.
Oh, ladybugs fly.

Five Little Ladybugs...
Five little ladybugs climbing up a door
One flew away then there were four
Four little ladybugs sitting on a tree
One flew away then there were three
Three Little ladybugs landed on a shoe
One flew away then there were two
Two little ladybugs looking for some fun
One flew away and then there was one
One little ladybug sitting in the sun
She flew away and then there were none


Lady Bug
I saw a little ladybug flying in the air,
But when I tried to catch her, two bugs where there.
Two little ladybugs flew up in a tree.
I tiptoed very quietly, and then I saw three.
Three little ladybugs, I looked for one more.
I saw one sitting on the ground; that made four.
Four little ladybugs-another one arrived.
I saw her sitting on a flower, and that made five.
Five little ladybugs, all red and black-
I clapped my hands and shouted, and they all flew back!

Ladybug, Ladybug
Ladybug, ladybug,
Bright and small.
Some have spots,
Some none at all.
Ladybug, ladybug,
You're the best!
You keep plants healthy
By eating garden pest.

This Little Lady Bug
Tune: "This Little Light Of Mine"
This little ladybug,
I'm gonna let it fly.
This little ladybug,
I'm gonna let it fly.
This little ladybug,
I'm gonna let it fly.
Let it fly, let it fly, let it fly.

I'm a Little Ladybug
(Sung to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little ladybug, you can see.
I am a beetle, pretty as can be.
I am brightly colored, red and black.
Look at the pretty spots on my back

Shiny Beetle
Note: After reading this poem to students, take the opportunity to discuss ways that we can be kind to living things that we meet every day. You may wish to reproduce the poem with a note telling parents about the class discussion on kindness.

I saw a shiny beetle, flying fast and free.
She bent her silvery wing and seemed to wave at me!
I followed close behind her to see where she would go.
I wanted all the secrets that only she could know.
She landed in the garden upon a flower so red.
And when I sat beside her, 'twas this she softly said:
"Be kind to every living thing in the sky, the land, and sea.
Be kind to every living thing. Please be kind to me."
Andra Christenson

Where is ... ?
(Sung to the tune of Where is Thumbkin?)
Where is mealworm? Where is mealworm?
Here I am, eating bran.
How are you today, sir? Very well, I thank you,
Yummy bran! Yummy bran!
Where is silkworm? Where is silkworm?
Here I am, eating leaves.
How are you today, sir? Very well, I thank you.
Yummy leaves! Yummy leaves!

Inch Worm
Inchworm, inchworm measuring the marigolds
You and your arithmetic
You'll probably go far
Inchworm, inchworm measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are

I'm a Little Spider
Sing this song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot."
Explore vocabulary concepts by asking questions such as: What words in the song rhyme? What words told you what the spider looks like? What word means "to see"?
I'm a little spider fat and round.
See me on my web near the ground.
When I spy an insect I think of lunch.
I catch him then I wrap him up!


The Spider
High spider, low spider,
Anywhere-you-go spider.
Big spider, small spider,
Never-ever-fall spider.
In spider, out spider,
Crawling-up-the-spout spider.
Black spider, brown spider,
Anywhere-in-town spider.


Five Hairy Spiders
Reproduce the spider a pattern to create flannel board pieces to use in "acting out" the rhyme. As each spider is removed the children call out the number remaining.
Five hairy spiders jumped across the floor.
One crawled away and then there were four.
Four hairy spiders climbed the backyard tree.
One crawled away and then there were three.

Three hairy spiders walked across my shoe.
One crawled away and then there were two.
Two hairy spiders spinning in the sun.
One crawled away and then there was one.
One hairy spider caught a bug on the run.
He crawled away and then there were none!
Andra Christenson



There's A Spider On The Floor
Children will enjoy acting the part of one of the spiders as the teacher reads the first line of each stanza and the rest of the class chants the second line.

There's a spider on the floor, on the floor,
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor,
Who could ask for any more
Than a spider on the floor
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There's a spider on my leg, on my leg,
There's a spider on my leg, on my leg,

Oh he's really really big
This old spider on my leg
There's a spider on my leg, on my leg.
There's a spider on my stomach, on my stomach,
There's a spider on my stomach, on my stomach,
Oh he's just a dumb old lummock

This spider on my stomach,
There's a spider on my stomach, on my stomach,
There's a spider on my neck, on my neck,
There's a spider on my neck, on my neck,
Oh I'm gonna be a wreck
With this spider on my neck
There's a spider on my neck, on my neck,
There's a spider on my face, on my face,
There's a spider on my face, on my face,
O it's such a big disgrace
Having a spider on my face
There's a spider on my face, on my face,
There's a spider on my head, on my head,
There's a spider on my head, on my head,
Oh I wish that I were dead
When there is a spider on my head
There's a spider on my head, on my head,
But wait....it jumped off....
Now there's a spider on the floor, on the floor...

Tune: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")
Bug, bug, on the shape
Afraid of you I'm not!
I see you, I see you!
Now I'm going to swat!
Splat!
Jeanine Troffioiz-Three-Year-Olds St. Luke's Rainbow Preschool in NF

SOUNDS OF NATURE
"Buzz, buzz," said the bee as he flew along.
"Tweet, tweet," went the bird as he sang his song.
And the owl in the tree said, "whoo, whoo,"
While down in the barn, the cow said, "Moo."

Bees
There is a beehive (Hands cupped)
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Now they come creeping out of the hive
One, two, three, four, five. (Extend the fingers one by one)
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!


HONEYBEE

Brown and yellow honeybee (hold up index finger)
Settle on a bloom. (Set index on tip of opposite hand's middle finger)
Sip a little nectar, (make sipping noises, tap middle finger several times)
Smell the sweet perfume. (Inhale loudly and deeply)
Brown and yellow honeybee (index finger still on middle finger)
Fly from flower to flower. (Tap other fingertips with index)
Then fly away, for you don't like (index flies behind back)
The rain of a summer shower. (Drum fingers on a table)


Five Little Bees
One little bee flew and flew.
He met a friend, and that made two.
Two little bees, busy as could be.
Along came another and that made three.
Three little bees wanted one more.
Found one soon and that made four.
Four little bees, going to the hive,
Spied their little brother and that made five.
Five little bees, working every hour.
Buzz away, bees, and find another flower.


Bees
Bees a-buzzin', Bees at play,
Bees a busy throughout the day.
Bees a--traveling, Bees in flight,
Bees a-workin', both day and night.

The Cricket Rap
Chorus:
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
Verse One:
I'm a cricket as you can see
I've got 6 legs and a set of wings
I feel with my antennae and can you believe
They're as long or longer than me!
Chorus:
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
Verse Two:
I rub my wings together with so much poise
It's not the girls, but the boys, who can make that noise.
There are lots of different crickets in this world to see
But the 3 major ones are House, Field and Tree.
Chorus:
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
Verse Three:
I shed my outer skin 5 times during life
And when I rub my wings together I might find a wife
I'm brown and I'm black and I'm even green
And I don't grow as fast in winter as I do in spring.
Chorus:
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP
CH CH CH THE CRICKET RAP

Some insect ideas compiled from many sources by: Sheila Smith