Post by Alexa Rosenbaum, Toneworks intern
The kids in our ECSE absolutely love playing with scarves, so I am always looking for new songs to facilitate movement with these fun and colorful props. I remember first hearing this song on a Barney VHS I had as a kid, and after forgetting about it for a solid 15 years, one of my clients requested it in a session. Though we normally just sing through the song with guitar, I thought that this song could be a wonderful opportunity to use scarves with our groups. There are many different versions of this song, but the verses I think fit best with scarf movement are the ones I have listed below:
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
(wave scarves up and down)
I’m squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
I’m squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It’s yucky!
(squish up scarf in hands) *Our kids are really used to squishing and then “popping” their scarf by throwing it in the air so this could be included at the end as a way of getting rid of the yucky squished bug!
I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won’t be mad at me!
(Rub scarf on legs and arms)
I’m sweeping up the baby bumblebee,
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
I’m sweeping up the baby bumblebee,
Yay! The floor is clean! (Sweep scarf on the floor)
These movements and verses can be modified to alter the length of the song according to your group’s specific needs. With this activity you can address body part identification goals and work on gross motor skills and following directions all while singing a fun little song!