This week was bee week! I was really looking forward to this one. I might say that about all of them though, as I am the one who really picks the themes…
This week we had some great activities, and great books, including our new read aloud of Winnie-the-Pooh! We started Sunday by going in search of bee hives – I thought I knew where one or two were but they turned out to be empty this year.
On Monday we started with the letter H, for honey and hive, played a memory match vocabulary game, talked about the different types of hives, and “created” a hive out of Honeycomb cereal. Oh and snacked on some honeycomb cereal with drips of honey on it, which was as sticky as it sounds.
Tuesday, we continued working on the letter H and vocabulary, did some sorting and pattern work, and started our fun counting book, complete with little wooden bees. In the afternoon we set up a pollination creation garden, where Wyatt created a little garden (inspired by our Monet’s waterlilies art from pond week) and I filled two of the flowers with powdered Tang to “bee” the pollen. Then we dipped a paintbrush in water, and used it to transfer the pollen from flower to flower. It turned out really cute!
Wednesday was such a sticky hot day, and not from honey but from humidity (another H word!) We did some table work, planted some seeds to grow a pollinator garden, then made homemade honey playdough, which was really fun. Wyatt loves to pretend bake and cook (and really help bake) so this activity was a hit.
Thursday I reserved for music and reading and poetry exclusively. It was a fun day! We listened to Flight of the Bumblebee, talked about the waggle dance that bees do to tell the other bees where to find flowers, and read some poems and rhymes. Friday we were going to make honey soap but decided to save it for Saturday when Billy could participate. So look for that update on my Instagram!
Next week we are going to take a little break, but then resume again the following week. Wyatt missed a month of school or so with the COVID shutdown and I didn’t start working with him right away, so we are going to keep working over the summer, with small breaks.
Resource Roundup!
Twig and Moth – Collection of Bees
Fun with Mama – Bumble Bees
Mrs. A’s Room – Bees Mini Unit
Preschool Discoveries – Bees
Books Read:
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This week I went crazy with the book buying. I love love love our copy of Winnie-the-Pooh and I wanted it to be a special one. If you were going to pick just one or two books though, I would go with Why Do We Need Bees? and Follow that Bee. Although Are You a Bee is really good too!
Bee by Britta Teckentrup || Summertime in the Big Woods || Why Do We Need Bees || Follow That Bee || Are You a Bee || Honey || Winnie-the-Pooh
Other Media Consumed:
Scout and the Gumboot Kids – The Case of the Buzzing Sweet Maker (Season 1, Ep 1)
Caitie’s Classroom – Bees
Maddie Moate – Beekeeping with Maddie Moate
And that is about it! It was a really fun week, filled with so many good reads! I feel so much more knowledgeable about bees myself now! If you have any questions about the materials I used or how I adapted them, let me know. You can comment here or send me an email!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
You are a remarkable and inventive teacher. Do you think Wyatt will be able to return to school in the fall? Or that there WILL be school in the fall? I don’t know how I feel about that. I know that eventually they have to open — not all parents will be good teachers like you — but I worry about the close contact. You want socialization — but it can get dicey and I wonder how the teachers will be able to keep on top of t hings. Even if you separate desks and such, kids are still kids… Well, a little time to worry on that. I have a feeling he will return better educated and prepared than many kids will be.
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Aww thank you so much Jeannie! I am having a good time teaching Wyatt. 🙂 And the fall…. I am not sure what will happen, unfortunately, with schools. Billy and I had a discussion and we have decided to homeschool Wyatt next year as well. I am not sure how we will swing socializing yet, but if my brother homeschools, which he is trying to figure out, then maybe we can see his cousin for play dates. But overall, I am worried about these kids – now and in the long run. How will this affect them long term, being separated from loved ones, not able to hug freely? Breaks my heart for my kiddo and my parents. This whole situation is a terrible nightmarish mess.
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It’s a tough dilemma but it makes sense for next year. It would make things so much easier of other families quarantined in the same safe ways so you could trust it and them to be able to arrange to either school together or at least do the play dates. If your brother lived nearby enough and Wyatt’s cousin is close to the same age, I suppose you could tag team on occasion — so they could do some of the same lessons or “field trips” together. But if the method is different or the ages too wide, that can get clunky.
I know what you mean about the long term. That worries me, too. In a lot of ways I think many of today’s kids, with all their devices are too isolated as is — even texting each other when they’re in the same room! I think it’s great when kids know how and are comfortable being self contained because we can’t always be in settings with others. (Like now!) But it’s important to know how to interact with others, to solve disputes, interact, cooperate — all those “it takes at least two” things. Still, I think it’s a smart decision you are making for next year. In general, I’m not a huge home school fan but in the time of covid, I think more should be doing it.
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What a delightful week you had! And I love Winnie the Pooh.
When I was a kid, I lived on a farm with almond orchards, among other things, and we had bee hives out there to pollinize the trees.
Enjoy whatever you choose next!
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I had never read Winnie the Pooh! So it is really fun to discover the stories as I read them to Wyatt. 🙂
That sounds like an amazing childhood!
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Oh what a wonderful week! I love seeing how you tackle the different topics and this sounds like a fun one.
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Thank you!! We had a great time with bees, there was so much fun stuff we could do with it! 🙂
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That was a fun bunch of projects. I see Wyatt is a lefty- I am too 🙂
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He is!!! Most of my cousins are lefties too, I am learning how hard it is to be a lefty in the world. Like how does one use a regular camera?
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What a cool week of learning. Seeing the honeycomb cereal made me smile and I have fond memories of Playdoh.
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The playdough continues to be a big hit. He likes to call it dough and pretends to bake, it is adorable. Lol.
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