♫♪I'm Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee...♪♫

Lucky for me, my son and I LOVE to do crafts.  Also lucky, is the fact that my boss loves my constant crafts with the kids, and will buy absolutely anything I need to complete another one of my ideas.  I had seen, in one of my parenting magazines, a bumblebee craft out of a water bottle; but it was definitely way too complex for little 2-year old hands.  This is my hands-on, step-by-step of what I came up with:

• After some thought, I figured I could do my own bumblebee craft, using an empty toilet paper roll for the body.  I had the kids finger-paint the roll yellow, but you could also have them glue yellow tissue paper or do it the opposite way and have them do the black first!  
• Next, take a sheet of black construction paper (yellow, if doing it the opposite way).  For each bumblebee, you will need to cut out 3 strips that will fit around the diameter of the roll.  Each strip needs to be from 1/2" to 1" wide.  Let each child glue their strips around the roll, one on each end, and one in the middle.  With the left over construction paper, cut out a stinger for the bee and wings for the bee.  Glue stinger at one end of the roll and the wings on either side of the roll towards the middle of the body.  
• I was initially going to construct the head out of construction paper, but couldn't find an easy enough way to do it while also having the kids contribute to it.  I then thought of foam craft balls!  PERFECT!  Use a foam ball at least large enough to fill the opening of the toilet paper roll, let the kids finger-paint it yellow.  After it dries, let the kids glue on 2 googly eyes, and let an adult stick in 2 cut pieces of pipe cleaner (for the antennas) and draw on a smiley face.  Of course, if your child is older, they may do all of these steps themselves.  Then glue the head of the bee onto the body.  I put glue on the rim of the paper roll and pressed down firmly.  Don't press down TOO hard, otherwise you will crush either the roll or the foam ball.
• Using a hole puncher, punch 2 holes onto the top of the bumblebee's body.  Thread string or ribbon through the holes with enough slack to hang the bumblebee for decoration.
• I have a tendency to try and put songs with the crafts we do, it's the daycare teacher in me!  For this craft, we used the song by the same name!  :)