Buzz Into Bravery with a Paper Bag Bee Puppet
A Sweet Craft Inspired by Little Bee’s Day in the Garden
There’s something magical about watching a child discover the world around them—especially when they do it with courage and wonder. That’s exactly what happens in the picture book Little Bee’s Day in the Garden, where a tiny bee finds the bravery needed to venture out for the very first time and finds beauty and surprises awaiting her around every flower.
To celebrate the story, we’ve created a simple and cheerful Paper Bag Bee Puppet Craft—perfect for little hands, homeschool mornings, or weekend fun in the sunshine.
What You’ll Need:
- Yellow paper bag
- printer and template
- Yellow and White paper
- scissors
- glue
- Black pipe cleaner
- googly eyes (1 /2 inch or size desired)
- Black Marker
✂️ How to Make Your Bee Puppet:
1. Prep the Paper Bag
Turn the paper bag so the flap is on top (this will be the bee’s face). If it’s a brown bag, cover it with yellow paper or paint it yellow.
2. Add Bee Stripes
Use a marker and draw stripes on the body of the bag, or alternativly, cut strips of black paper and glue them horizontally across the body section of the bag to make your bee’s stripes.
3. Create the Face
Cut out a circle either printed on yellow paper or printed in yellow. Glue to the bottom of the bag. Glue googly eyes onto the circle and draw a friendly smile. You can also add pink cheeks with a crayon or scrap paper for extra sweetness.
4. Make the Wings
Print and cut out the wings on white paper. Then glue to the back of the paper bag. Or alternatly, cut out two white ovals from wax paper for wings and glue them to the back of the bag. Wax paper makes them a little translucent—just like real bee wings!
5. Add Antennae
Twist two short black pipe cleaners and tape or glue them to the top of the puppet’s head. Or cut two pieces of black paper and glue on the back of the head.
🌼 Pair It With Storytime
Once your puppet is done, snuggle up and read Little Bee’s Day in the Garden. As Little Bee ventures into the garden, your child can use their puppet to fly alongside her—exploring the flowers, meeting new friends, and discovering that trying new things can be a little scary… and a lot wonderful.
🎕 This story gently encourages:
- Facing fears with curiosity
- Finding joy in nature
- Taking small steps with courage
👉 Click here to grab your copy of Little Bee’s Day in the Garden-US
👉 Click here to grab your copy of Little Bee’s Day in the Garden-International
📬 Want the Bee Puppet Pattern?
Want to make it even easier? Download our free printable little bee puppet pattern from the Free Resource Page (find the password in the last newsletter) or get it straight to your inbox by signing up for the newsletter below.
Want to share? Please send your friends here to get their own copy straight from the source.
🐝 Extend the Fun
After the craft and story, go outside and explore your own “garden”! You can look for:
- Real bees and the flowers they love
- Ladybugs, butterflies, and worms
- Tiny brave moments your child can have (like touching a flower or picking a weed!)
Tag your puppet creations and brave garden moments @SillyGeesePublishingCrafts — we’d love to see how your Little Bees are growing!
Blessings,
—Shannon L. Mokry
Find More Paperbag Puppets in my Free Resource Library. Just sign up for my newsletter and get access to over a 100 free printable coloring sheets, bookmarks, activities, crafts and more, with new things added all the time!
