As a part of our activities about bumblebees, we read a book called Bumblebee by J.V. Wilson and Adrienne Kennaway. I found the book to be interesting and informative, but it really was not appropriate for a toddler, as it was quite long. I think older kids could really enjoy learning about the life cycle of the queen bee, different bee types and how a hive operates - but it didn't hold the interest of my 18 month old. This mismatch was my fault, however, as I put the book on hold at the library from home and picked it up without looking inside first. So while I wish I could give you a better recommendation on a book about bumblebees for a toddler, all I can do for now is say that this one is probably better for preschoolers. Our activities, however, were a little more engaging!
Bubble Wrap Beehive and Thumbprint Bees
I came across the idea to paint with bubble wrap on a few sites. I noticed immediately that the print it created looked a bit like the structured pattern inside a beehive, and decided that would make a fun craft that was easy for a toddler to engage in (again, focusing on process rather than product).
I cut a piece of bubble wrap to roughly the shape of a beehive. I controlled the "product" somewhat by providing only honey-like colors - yellow, brown, and orange - to paint with. This was definitely a messy craft, as I had to help T hold down the bubble wrap while he painted on it. He also decided that at points that it would be more fun to paint the tablecloth...or my face. Thank goodness for washable paint.
I cut a piece of bubble wrap to roughly the shape of a beehive. I controlled the "product" somewhat by providing only honey-like colors - yellow, brown, and orange - to paint with. This was definitely a messy craft, as I had to help T hold down the bubble wrap while he painted on it. He also decided that at points that it would be more fun to paint the tablecloth...or my face. Thank goodness for washable paint.
Eventually the paint was very much mixed, but the result was a really nice honey color with some lighter and darker spots. I used the bubble wrap like a stamp and printed the design on a piece of plain white paper. I then used a clean brush and clean yellow paint to paint T's thumb, which we stamped on the paper outside the hive to later serve as a bumblebee. When the paint was dry, I used a fine tipped black marker to add stripes, eyes, antennae and wings to his bee (he was only patient enough for one bee!)
Bumblebee Squishy Balloons
As a sensory activity, I created "squishy" bumblebee balloons by filling yellow balloons with flour using a funnel. This was actually harder than I expected. I wish I had a useful tip that I could provide, but I really just had to consistently move the balloon around, squeezing it and shaking it, before I could finally get it relatively full of flour. The flour is too light to expand the balloon, so using larger balloons is a good idea if you don't want a super small bumblebee. I used a sharpie to draw the eyes, antennae and stripes of the bee.
These were very fun for my toddler to play with. I found them relaxing too - like a stress ball. It's a neat texture to roll, squish and squeeze. Unfortunately, they were also very appealing as something to bite. I had to keep a very close eye on my toddler and there were several times I had to take them away because he wanted to put them in his mouth - and balloons and little mouths definitely don't mix.
Bumblebee Songs
Our squishy bumblebee balloons were inspired by the song, "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee." (If you aren't familiar with it, here's a video that shows the actions) Admittedly, a song about squishing up a baby bumblebee is probably not the best choice - but man that "squishing" motion is fun for a toddler and extra fun if you have a squishy bumblebee balloon to do it with! I did, however, find some versions that let the baby bumblebee go after it stings them rather than squishing it up.
The Laurie Berkner Band also has a song called "Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)"- which you can listen to here. This was fun to dance to and reinforced the buzzing sound a bumblebee makes.
The Laurie Berkner Band also has a song called "Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)"- which you can listen to here. This was fun to dance to and reinforced the buzzing sound a bumblebee makes.