Everyone DIGS ladybugs and we have found alot of ladybug activities in webland. So come tiptoe through our AKGVH ladybug activity garden and trip with us!

As you know by now, I always start out with some vintage clips. The following ladybug clips are both vintage & current packed full of ladybug info & fun for Pre-k to Teen!

And it just cannot get any better than to begin our Ladybug video round up with this vintage Ladybugs Picnic from Sesame Street. I'm tellin' ya, it is just waaaaay toooooo CUTE!

Our next video in our round up is "The Grouchy Ladybug" by Eric Carle. It is a multi-theme layered tale which is always a FAVE of children everywhere. Your wee ones will be continuously intrigued as the Grouchy Ladybug flies them through the day around the clock, taking them through the animal kingdom comparing sizes along with personal behavior awareness. This is the best rendition I have found that will keep the attention of even your weest wiggly ones:

Here is the Grouchy Ladybug song your wee babes will love to perform over and over from the Patootie Learning Co:

The Grouchy Ladybug Stations is an excellent way for your wee ones to physcially go through various obstacles as they travel through each station. I am STOKED I found this video as I am very interested in doing this physical activity with my wee grandbabes. Once I figure out how I would DIY each station, I have an inkling it would VERY much be worth the effort of creating as I have a feeling purchasing those props would be rather costly:

Our next story "What the Ladybird Heard" by Julia Donaldson is packed full of farm animal sounds with a surprising twist interjected. This humorous, suspenseful rhyming tale centers a silent ladybird, living amongst a noisy cohort of farm animals. The rhyming makes this a fantastically easy book to read to your children as it keeps a lovely pace throughout.

Julia brilliantly uses rhyming couplets throughout the story in a poem like structure along with repetitive, yet fun word reinforcement. This writing technique provides multi opportunities for your wee ones to join in with practicing oral and creative expression while learning about the different animals and their habitats within a farm.

The use of onomatopoeia brings accessibility for your west ones allowing them to participate verbally throughout the story as well while they emphasize the noises of the animals. They will laugh and giggle verbally expressing the rhyming animal noise chorus, reciting them by heart via accompanying moos, barks, meows, oinks, etc.

This story delivers a tribute to all those creatures on earth who don't have a verse in "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," all because they do not make a sound.

The use of directional language visually represented in map form throughout this story introduces children to other curricular subjects such as mathematics and geography while further developing a child’s sense of direction and geographical skills. As an extra-curricular activity older children can map their bedrooms, their homes, their yards or their neighborhoods.

The story begins with normal everyday barnyard banter between the animals with the ladybug silently moving among them and she is almost overlooked, until…

“The Very Lazy Ladybug” by Isobel Finn is a children's book originating in the U.K. that tells the story of a ladybug's quest to sleep. Throughout the story, readers will assume her quest is for a new place to sleep and the ladybug believes this to be true as well, yet in the end with the help of an elephant, she finally learns to fly.

The story recaps each animal’s appearance, their habitat and the sounds they make as the author plays with the text, using words such as swish and swing enlarging the words to describe particular animal movements while illustrating the meaning of the words making the book enjoyable for all:

Here is a very fun action rhyming song your wee babes are sure to enjoy performing:

Next is every wee babes FAV 10 Little Ladybugs board book:

This video covers ladybug fun facts geared towards Pre-k-Grade 1 children:

Primary grade children navigate through the ladybug lifecycle in detail and includes ladybug FAVE habitats during the lifecycle processes:

This retro video covers the ladybug life cycle for upper elementary children:

Another video for older children covers the different colors ladybugs display along with their various FAVE habitats:

Older children will want to make a ladybug habitat and this video will show them how to safely and lovingly care for their ladybug:

If you want to keep ladybugs in your garden for observation and organic gardening, this video shows you how to make your garden ladybug friendly so they will want to make it their permanent home:

Many children of all ages may enjoy watching this ladybug eat aphids up close:

Another video for all ages was filmed in Yosemite National Park featuring GAZILLIONS of ladybugs in the snow:

Dig these ladybug slow motion take offs:

This ladybug playing with cookie sprinkles is TOOO MUCH!

While everyone loves ladybugs and think they are just the cutest loveable bugs ever, ladybugs in reality are BRUTAL killers and this video will show you why:

These ladybugs are having a love-in:

This somewhat crass (but FUNNY!!!) video I would rate under PG for older teens and young adults:

There are some speculations on just how did ladybugs gets their name. This video takes you back through history to find out why:

You may think these are ladybugs but you will want to take a closer l@@k as these bugs are a BUMMER:

These far-out ladybug fingernail designs for both long & short nails are out-a-sight:

And you may want this out-a-sight Ladybug Motion Wallpaper for your computer fun:

Check out this children's ladybug bedset:

I compiled the following Ladybug Rhymes, Finger Plays & Poems throughout the years on a doc, then printed it out. Everyday we did some of the following using our Ladybug hand puppet.

Actually it really is a bath mitt but I snagged it to use for this unit. I added the pipe cleaner antenna's. You can get a ladybug bath mitt to use in your classroom for this unit from Amazon:

Ladybug Bath Mitt

If you do NOT want to purchase a hand puppet, you can make one using our EXCLUSIVE Ladybug Hand Puppet Pattern with sewing directions FREEBIE from our Teacher's Notebook Shop:

AKGVH Ladybug Hand Puppet FREEBIE Sewing Pattern

Your babes may want to make one for themselves for Ladybug activities as well:

Your babes can make our Ladybug Paper Bag Puppet using our FREEBIE pattern & the following directions:

Materials:

1 Paper Bag for Each Child

Red & Black Tempera Paint

Black & Red Construction Paper or Foam

School Glue Water Mixture

Black Glitter (Optional)

School Glue Bottle

Glue Gun

Glue Sticks

2 Large Wiggle Eyes (Optional)

White Crayon

Black Dauber

1 Brad

Directions:

First, have your babes paint the inside of the paper bag fold red. This is the ladybug's mouth. Next, have them paint the ladybug face, jaw & the back of the head black. Let dry.

Now glue the shoes on the leg & the hands on the arms, let dry.

Then cut out 2 bodies from black construction paper. Using a mixture of glue & water, paint the glue one on the front of the paper bag close to the bottom. When the ladybug's face & jaw are dry, glue the jaw on top of the body just below the fold, let dry.

Next glue the other body piece on the back and then glue the head overlapping the body at the top matching and gluing the antennae's together , let dry.

Using a black dauber, have your babes daub dots on the wings, let dry. When back & wings are dry, take the brad and fasten the wings on to the bag from the back folding the excess brad over:

Now you can outline your antennae's with the glue bottle, then add the glitter for added sparkle, or you may choose to omit this step. We did both sides.

When the glitter is dry, glue gun the wiggle eyes on or using a white crayon, have your babe draw the eyes. The nose is drawn with the white crayon as well.

Insert the arms & legs inside the bag sides and glue down, let dry.

Now your puppet is ready to use!

Now here is your FREEBIE from our AKGVH Teacher's Dojo Shop:

AKGVH Vintage Ladybug Paper Bag Hand Puppet Pattern

Here are the Ladybug Puppet rhymes and poems to use with your puppets:

Crimson Ladybug

It is a crimson Ladybug;
I wonder why the pet has come?
Perhaps it wants a little food,
To carry with it to its home?

Oh! It spreads its tiny wings!
Mother, see? It flies away!
Ladybug, you're going home,
But come again another day!

Down in the Hollow

Down in the hollow,
Not so far away
I saw some little Ladybugs
When I went to play.

Swinging in the Clover,
Up in the air
I wonder if the Ladybugs
Knew I was there?

© Aileen Fisher

Found a Ladybug

Sing to: Oh, My Darling Clementine

Found a ladybug, found a ladybug,
Found a ladybug just now.
Just now I found a ladybug,
Found a ladybug just now.

It was red, it was red,
It was red just now.
It was red with black spots,
Red with black spots just now.

Hospital Ladybug

The ladybug on the screen,

A pen doodling with no ink.

A bit of sun on a melancholy day,

On the sixth floor of the hospital wing.

I Am a Little Ladybug

Sing to I'm a Little Teapot

I am a little ladybug on the go,
Landing on an arm, now an elbow.
See me fly around and around your hand,
Now watch as on your thumb I land.

I am a little ladybug searching for some toes,
But watch me quickly land on your nose.
Now I look around and head for your hair,
I muss it up a bit, then pat it down with care.

I am a little ladybug looking for a knee,
I'm just so happy you're not bugged by me.
Now you see me heading for your chest,
This little ladybug needs some rest.

Another Version:

I am 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.

Lady The Bug

One sunny afternoon Lady Luck came my way,
She was bright red and spotted as I helped her that day.
Her paper wings closing as she landed on me,
I held her up loosely for others to see.
The wind picked up and started to blow,
and I knew Lady Luck would soon have to go.
So I cried; "Lady Bug, Lady Bug, fly away home!"
She opened her wings and left me standing alone.
It wasn't long that I started to see,
millions of Lady Bugs smiling at me.

Ladybug

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.

Ladybug Feed Upon the Dew,

Lady-bug, lady-bug, fly away do.
Fly to the mountain, and feed upon dew,
Feed upon dew, and sleep on a rug,
And then run away, like a good little bug.

Ladybug Fly Away Home

Ladybug, Ladybug fly Away Home,
Night time is coming, the sunshine has gone.
Your family awaits, no more to be said,
It's time little Ladybugs were tucked up in bed!

Ladybug in Red

Ladybugs all dressed in red,
Strolling through the flower bed.
If I were tiny just like you,
I would creep among the flowers too.

Ladybug, Ladybug Nursery Rhyme

Ladybug! Ladybug!
Fly away home.
Your house is on fire.
And your children all gone.
All except one,
And that's little Ann,
For she crept under
The frying pan.

Ladybug Rhyme

Ladybug, ladybug, (move fingers)
Let me see your crawl, (crawl slowly on all fours)
Hurry after those harmful bugs, (move quickly on all fours)
But be careful, do not fall! (fall over)

Ladybug Landed on My Nose

Sing to: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Lady Bug, Lady Bug landed on my nose,
I went “kerchoo!” and off she flew!
Her body is round with big black dots,
My mommy told me they are called spots.
Lady Bug, Lady Bug she looks really neat,
With her bright red wings, and tiny black feet!

Ladybug Wears a Cape

Lady bug wears
An orange cape.
It opens up
And changes shape -

Now two wings lift her
into the air.
I wish I had
Such a cape to wear!

Dee Lillegard

Ladybugs

Sing to: Jolly Old St. Nicholas

Ladybugs have spots or stripes,

They are yellow, red or green;

They love to live where there are weeds;

Around the world they're seen.

They're in the beetle family,

And that is no surprise!

Though some folks call them "ladybugs"

Or even "lady flies."

Ladybugs Fly

Sing to: 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 so slow.
Oh, ladybugs fly.

Little Buggy

In the window of the washroom,

At our school yesterday,

A little bug was crawling,

In its little buggy way.

I whispered in its tiny ear,

To not make any noise;

Because it was a Ladybug,

And the washroom is for boys!

Little Red Ladybug

Little red ladybug sits on a leaf.
She sits on a leaf on a tree.
And as she sits on that little green leaf.
There are so many friends to see!
Little yellow bumblebees buzz by the leaf.
They buzz by the leaf on the tree.
And as they buzz by that little green leaf.
There are so many friends to see!

Miss Lady Bug

Little ladybug,
Sweet little ladybug,
Where are you going now?

You go to fly,
While I must try,
And turn away as you go.

But if you feel
You need to come back,
Than this you must always know.

In my heart there's a place for you,
It's red with black spots.
It's a place you can stay,
Where I will love you lots.

But I know that I can't keep you,
For there are lives you need to please.
So then you shall fly,
To tend to others needs.

It would be wrong to keep you here,
And not let you go to live.
For you little bug, bless your heart,
Have lots of love to give.

Mr. Ladybug

A ladybug went to work one day,
and said to her husband,
"Now while I'm away,
please take care of the house,
and sweep the floor,
and don't let the baby bugs
fly out the door!"
So he polished, and cleaned, and vacuumed the rug,
he fed all the baby bugs, gave each a hug,
and when he finished, he said with a shrug,
"It's really hard, being a man ladybug!
Oh, I work, and I work, just as hard as I can,
'Cause it's really hard, being a ladybug man!"

Never Hurt A Ladybug

Sing to: Yankee Doodle

Ladybugs are in my yard,
Just look at them devour.
Those pesky aphids on the leaves,
Of Mother's pretty flowers.
Never hurt a ladybug,
We need them in the garden.
Ladybugs help flowers grow,
So we must never hurt them.

See the Ladybug

Sing to: Frere Jacques

See the ladybug, see the ladybug.
Watch it crawl, watch it crawl.
See it crawling higher,
See it crawling higher.
Watch it crawl, up the wall.

See the ladybug, see the ladybug.
Watch it crawl, watch it crawl.
See it crawling lower,
See it crawling lower.
Way down low, to my toe.

~Jean Warren

The Ladybug

When strolling through the garden if you should chance to see,
A ladybug out walking please say 'Hi!' for me.
For a ladybug is a good bug,
And she helps the garden grow.
She is supposed to bring good luck,
So be sure to say 'Hello!'

The Ladybug's a Beetle

The ladybug's a beetle.
It's shaped like a pea.
Its color is a bright red
With lots of spots to see.

Although the name is "ladybug",
Some ladybugs are "men"
So why don't we say
"gentleman bug"
Every now and then?

The Tiny Ladybug

When I was a child ladybugs would fly to me.
They would land on my arm and whisper little secrets in my ear
of things I would become:
A kind man .......gentle of mind.

A man of spirit who could close great divides.

But I don't feel that big.
In fact, as I sit in the grass and talk to you,
I feel like a tiny Ladybug
on someone else's arm......
And your ear is most important to me.

This Little Ladybug

Sing to: 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.

You can print them out for FREE from our Teacher's Dojo Shop:

Ladybug Hand Puppet Rhymes and Poems Pack

Well, that is all for now but be sure to come back again soon for part 2 of our Ladybug Love Activities and FREEBIES! See You then!

AKGVH Ladybug Love Activities & Freebies! Part 2

Be sure to catch Part 3 as well:

Ladybug Love Activities and Freebies Part 3