Paper Bumble Bees

This is another favorite craft we did at our play group at the local community center.  Super easy to set up and very affordable.

What you need:
Yellow construction paper
Wax paper
Black construction paper
Two small pom poms
Marker
Glue stick
Scissors
Tape

What to do:
Depending on how old your child is, you can  prep the pieces in advance or have your child help you.

Cut out two hearts in yellow construction paper.  Then cut out two small black stripes for the antenna.  Cut a pieces of wax paper about five inches wide.

Glue one heart on to the top of the other to construct the body.  Then glue one antenna to each hump of the head.  Glue one pom pom to the tip of each antenna. 

To make the wings, pull the wax paper in at at the center and tape it to the back of the body.  You can round the corners if you like.

Draw on a face.

Two more bees we made a different day.  Natalie's is on the right.  She drew the face and did all the gluing. 

Substitutions and Alternations:
You can use card stock or craft foam instead of construction paper.  Instead of wax paper, parchment paper or tissue paper will work.  If you make your hearts really small, you could probably use a coffee filter.  Instead of drawing the face, you could use googly eyes, beads, pom poms, or sequins for eyes and nose.  You could draw or cut out stripes, and you could color in or cut out a stinger.  You could swap pipe cleaners for the antenna.  I added a flower a different time we did the project and drew on the arms to hold it. 

Extensions:

• Like most gluing crafts, you have opportunity to discuss color, shape and size.  
•  Make paper flowers and pretend to pollinate them.  
• Make a hive or honeycomb for your bee.  Hive could be made out of paper mache if you are dedicated or just tissue paper if not.  Honeycomb could be toilet paper rolls glued together, or just a design of hexagons drawn on paper or pipe cleaners bent and glue on paper.  
• Read about bees!  I don't know any titles exclusively about bees, but your local librarian or an internet search could help you out.  Remember you could read fiction, non-fiction, or even poetry.  
• Read some Pooh Bear, namely the first chapter in Winnie the Pooh where he tries to fool the bees by pretending to be a cloud.  This scene is also in the original Disney Winnie the Pooh movie.  
• Write a poem about a bee.
• Dance around like a bees.  You can flap your arms like wings and wiggle your butts like how they communicate with each other. 
• Taste some honey.  Or cook something with honey.  (Remember no honey for kids under 1). 
• Go look at some bees.  You can either hunt around in your yard or park, or you can try to find a local bee keeper.  (If you are doing this with a group of children, find out about any possible bee sting allergies first).