6.14.2012

The Bees Knees

Josie's deathly afraid of bees so I wasn't exactly sure how she would like this unit.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about.  Maybe it even helped her to not freak out quite so much when one gets too close to her.  I can dream...

I had one of those "Oh My Goodness, I'm Definitely A Homeschooling Mom" Moments when I found a perfectly shaped dead bee on the ground and actually picked it up to save it for this unit.  I've been hanging on to this bad boy for a month!  We finally got to check her (all worker bees are girls) out under the magnifying glass.



(Ladybug also found in our carpet.  I'm a little concerned with all the dead bugs in my house!)


Just so you don't think school is always smooth sailing.

This picture may look sweet, but there was a very loud soundtrack from both midgets accompanying it.


She put this bee together while I read one of our bee books.  I gave her all the pieces and she put it together.  Mass amounts of glue were used to complete this project.


Our footprint bees were super fun too.  Anytime I paint their hands or feet they act like it's Christmas.  I had to do Gabe's too so I can remember his tiny feet and wonky toes!


We also did some worksheets and Bible verse helps from 2 Teaching Mamas.  The library had a ton of books on bees.  We learned all about how they make honey and then did some honey taste testing.  She also learned the names of the bees in a hive (Queen, Drone, Workers), what each of them do in the hive, and what happens when a new Queen is born.

Bees are pretty interesting when you learn about them.  She schooled her Aunt Amber in worker bee rules one night.  Proud teaching moment!


We ended the week checking out some bees in the garden.  I had her pretend she was a worker bee and try to find some pollen around the yard.  She had a lot of fun with this.



Josie does a curriculum for math, reading, and writing.  These posts show our themed unit work.

5 comments:

amym said...

I taught my Girl Guides about bees once and made a game where I stuck a piece of velcro to the tip of an orange pylon. I attached a strap to the top so they could tie the pylon onto their bum. Then they flew around outside looking for pollen (pompoms)
you sending Josie out to look for pollen reminded me of that game.

Susana said...

Fun! We did lots of the same things in our bee study too! Love the pic of her holding the bee :-).

Veronica said...

How fun! I've been meaning to do a bee unit. My 2 1/2 year old just stepped on a bee yesterday so she's not too fond of them at the moment. Maybe if I did something fun with the theme she'd forgive the poor bee that lost his life because she stepped on him. Poor thing.

I love the foot print bees. How cute!

Stef Layton said...

good for her! I'm allergic to bees, so I wouldn't have liked the lesson either !!!!

Michelle Gibson said...

LOVE the homeschool mom moment! And that you saved the bee for a whole MONTH!!! That takes dedication! LOL! Lots of wonderful learning going on at your house!