Baby Bumblebee

There’s a BUZZ in the air at our place after I took the boy's to The Ginger Factory to see the Super bee Live Bee Show. Master 4 and Master 2 loved the action of a living hive and watched on with great interest as the bee-keeper revealed the secrets of the honey bee. They were able to sneak a peak inside a real live bee hive where they watched the buzzy bees hard at work. The end of the tour was a delicious tasting session that included different tasting honeys. On our way home I needed to go to Spotlight and as always the boys and I ended up looking at all the different materials. The delight on their faces when they saw this stripey Bee material was priceless. Needless to say we left with the material and ventured home into the garden!

Busy little Bees were buzzing all around today as I tackled the weeds and the boys happily role-played in the garden. As we live in Queensland and the weather is harsh on flowers, unfortunately looking for pollen to take back to the hive was restricted to the potted flowers! The boys certainly took in a lot at the show as I watched them playing and chatting together.... " Rub your wings against the pollen and we will fly it back to the hive." buzzed Master 4. The funniest part of the play was when I looked over and saw them both rubbing their feet on the flower pot pretending to put pollen on their feet to take back to the hive!!There are so many wonderful activities that you can follow up with from a visit to the Bee Show or simply from just looking at a Bee in the Garden.
I read the boys The Very Greedy Bee - A greedy bee guzzles nectar and gobbles pollen, and won't share with anyone. He won't even let a tired ladybug rest on his flower. One day the bee comes upon a meadow full of juicy blossoms. He goes from flower to flower, slurping up all he can, all the while growing fatter and fatter, until he is unable to fly home. He is scared, especially when he sees two eyes glowing from the long grass, but then discovers that they are fireflies, and they offer to escort him home. At last they reach the bank of the stream, and he is assisted across by a team of ants with a big leaf. When the bee finally arrives home safely, he offers to share his best honey with his new friends and his fellow bees. A great

book to reinforce sharing and family values.

This was an easy craft activity using a piece of bubble wrap that I cut into the shape of a hive. The boys painted on the raised side with yellow paint and then turned it over and pressed on the wrap to make the hive pattern. I then gave them lots of busy bees to paste onto the hove and of course a Queen Bee! This was a really fun activity and looks great.

Make a Kazoo With a Toilet Paper Tube

Make Kazoos by placing a circle of wax paper over one end of an empty toilet paper tube and securing it with a rubber band. Show your child how to use the kazoo to make buzzing sounds. Talk with your child about the sounds they can make with their kazoo. Are the sounds similar to bees buzzing?

Toast and Honey

Make toast with your child and let them put honey on it. Where possible, find honey that has a honey comb inside the jar so your child can see what a honey comb looks like.

Flower Garden

Get some potting soil, paper cups, and marigold seeds. This is a great opportunity for your child to plant seeds and then watch their plants grow and bloom into flowers. Planting anything with your child allows for a wonderful dialogue to open up - What is the dirt called? What shape is the seed? What does a plant need to grow?