The Honeybee - Summer Book Club

Welcome to the 7th Week of Summer Book Club!

We've been buzzing about this book since we first saw it, as we think learning and sharing the love for honeybees couldn't be more important, especially in summer! We love the gorgeous illustrations in this book by illustrator, Isabelle Arsenault and how much we learn about the wondrous lives of honeybees, all in the perfect rhyming, lyrical text from author Kirsten Hall. Take this line for example, "Shhh- do you hear it? You're near it. It's closer. It's coming. It's buzzing. It's humming. A BEE." 

Buzz along with the vibrant verse and beautiful illustrations to learn all about the wonder of the honeybee. Everyone will love following along with the busy bees, taking in their amazing journeys and all of the work they do to keep our world blooming. This celebration of the critically important honeybee is a honey-sweet treasure of a picture book.

 

Day 1: Read & Discuss

The first day of book club is all about soaking in the story together and reading closely with your children. Take your time as you turn each page, noticing these bee-utiful illustrations and listening to the rhyming language of this non-fiction picture book about bees.

After reading, ask your children if they have any questions, what they found interesting in the book (there are so many amazing bee details!), if there are parts of the story that they can relate to or perhaps already knew about, and share the details that caught their attention. Taking time to explore the story through discussion allows the story to sink in to your children's hearts and minds.

We've compiled a list of discussion topics you can explore for some ideas to get started:

1. There are a few different roles for honeybees. If you were a bee, would you want to be a forager, a queen bee, or a house bee? Or all of them?

2. Isn't it amazing that pollen makes nectar that in turn makes honey. Did you know about the work that honeybees do before reading this book? Have you ever eaten honey from a honeycomb? YUM!

3. Reading this book is a good reminder of how important flowers are for honeybees. Have you planted flowers? Certain flowers are especially delicious and attract bees. Do a little research and perhaps you can plan a garden filled with bee-friendly blooms.

4. Honeybees are very strong despite their tiny size. Are there other insects and animals that you know of that are also small but mighty?

Day 2: Drawing & Writing Prompt

On the second day of our Summer Book Club, we focus on revisiting the story with renewed enthusiasm and a creative mindset. This approach aligns with the Waldorf method, which immerses children in storytelling through drawing and writing.

We’ve provided a few prompts to inspire your children’s drawings and writing, helping them grasp the story’s concepts and delve deeper into its themes. Kids enjoy retelling and revisiting stories through play and performances. You can create a mini theater with a playsilk curtain, giving them a fun way to enact the story and engage in narration. If your children enjoy writing and drawing, set up a creative space with pencils, crayons, and paper. Include the book in this area so they can refer to it for inspiration.

Here are our drawing and writing prompts for The Honeybees:

Draw a bee friendly home and garden. Draw some bees buzzing through the flowers happily pollinating your imaginary world! 

Write a poem from the perspective of a bee about your habitat using nature sights and sounds. You can use some of the amazing poems in this book for inspiration. 

Day 3: Craft Your BEE-ds!

Keep everything buzzing with these sweet bee-d's made from self-hardening clay. You can make an entire honeycombs worth of bees to share with friends and family or just a few, but we certainly think that wearing this sweet necklace will let the bees know that you appreciate how hard they work to keep our world blooming. 

 

Gather Your Supplies:

These are the supplies for this project:

• Air dry clay
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Mod Podge (or sealant) 
• String (for necklace chain)

Create Your Very Own Bee Shaped Beads:

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

 Step 2: Using the air dry clay, shape your bee shaped bees. make sure to put a hole all the way through the middle so that you can string the beads onto your string. Let dry completely.