Session 3: Beehive

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Creating Home, Kindergarten-1st Grade

In This Section

Introduction
From Creating Home

The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams. — Henry David Thoreau This session focuses on the family home through an investigation of bees and their homes. The activities explore the idea of home as a specific, physical place that plays a role in the lives of bees. Children will…
Session-at-a-Glance
From Creating Home

ACTIVITY MINUTES Opening 5 Activity 1: Introducing Beehives 5 Activity 2: Beehive Poster Preparation 10 Activity 3: Story — What Bees Do at Home 15 Activity 4: Sending the Bees Home 5 Activity 5: Honey Parfaits 15 Faith In Action: Nature Walk — Short-term 10 Faith In Action: Heifer Project…
Spiritual Preparation
From Creating Home

This session will focus on beehives. Sometimes hives are portrayed as a frenzy of activity. This session, though, looks at the amazing organization of the colony of bees and how each bee plays a role in the beehive home. Take a moment and reflect upon this faith setting….
Opening
From Creating Home

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice candle or LED/battery-operated candle Lighter and extinguisher, if needed Labyrinth Basket of name stones Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Write the chalice-lighting words on newsprint, and post. Memorize the…
Activity 1: Introducing Beehives
From Creating Home

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, Beehive Poster Optional: Leader Resource 1, Background on Bees and Beehives Preparation for Activity Review the rhyme and the hand movements that accompany the rhyme so you will be comfortable leading this activity….
Activity 2: Beehive Poster Preparation
From Creating Home

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Download, print, and photocopy Handout 1, Bee Body Parts. Decide whether the group has the motor skills necessary, and your session has the time, for each child to cut out the bee body, head, stripes, and wings from Handout 1, Bee Body Parts. You…
Activity 3: Story - What Bees Do At Home
From Creating Home

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Images of bees and beehives A copy of story, “What Bees Do at Home”Leader Resource 2, Beehive Poster Preparation for Activity Collect photographs of bees and beehives to show to your group. Good sources are nature magazines, websites, and books for…
Activity 4: Sending the Bees Home
From Creating Home

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, Beehive Poster Paper bees that children made in Activity 2: Beehive Poster Preparation Double-sided tape Marker Preparation for Activity Children will need the paper bees they each made in Activity 2: Beehive Poster Preparation….
Activity 5: Honey Parfaits
From Creating Home

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of Leader Resource 3, Honey Parfaits Clear plastic glasses or parfait cups for all participants Spoons and butter knives for all participants Ingredients specified in Leader Resource 3, Honey Parfaits or required for your adaptation of the…
Closing
From Creating Home

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice candle or LED/battery-operated candle Lighter and extinguisher, if needed Labyrinth, with participants’ name stones placed on it Basket for name stones Optional: Index cards or post-its, bold marker, and tape Preparation for Activity Review…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Creating Home

Think about what went well in the session and what needed improvement. When were children most engaged? What parts of the session went well for you as a leader? What parts of the session seemed most meaningful to the participants? Did children make connections to the ideas you presented in the…
Faith In Action: Nature Walk - Short-term
From Creating Home

Activity time: 10 minutes Preparation for Activity Make sure you have enough adult supervision and the permission of parents and congregational leaders to bring the group outdoors, especially if you plan to leave the grounds of your meeting location….
Faith In Action Long Term: Faith In Action: Heifer Project International - Long-Term
From Creating Home

Activity time: 10 minutes Preparation for Activity Visit Heifer International online to learn about its projects, its educational resources, and how fundraising by the children in Creating Home, their families, and other members of your congregation can help. Read about Heifer International’s…
Faith In Action Long Term 2: Faith In Action: Refugees’ New Homes - Long-Term
From Creating Home

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Boxes or large bags to organize and transport items Optional: Newsprint, markers, and tape Optional: Paper and pencils or markers for all participants Optional: A large, 11 x 17” sheet of construction paper for making a group card Preparation for…
Alternate Activity 1: Story - Aesop's Fable of the Worker Bee, the Drone, and the Wasp
From Creating Home

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of story, “Aesop’s Fable of the Worker Bee, the Drone, and the Wasp” Optional: “The Worker Bee, the Drone, and the Wasp” coloring sheet, and crayons Preparation for Activity Review the story so you can tell it to the group comfortably.
Taking It Home: Beehive
From Creating Home

The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams. – Henry David Thoreau IN TODAY’S SESSION… During our discussions of finding home in a particular place, the Creating Home group learned about the homes of other animals and compared some of them to our homes. This session explored what…
What Bees Do at Home
From Creating Home

This story is designed to be used with Leader Resource 2, Beehive Poster in Activity 3. What Do Bees Do at Home? How do you think bees get into their hives? (Point to the opening in the hive on the poster.) That’s right; the hive has an opening so the bees can go in and out. Last week we talked…
Aesop's Fable of the Worker Bee, the Drone, and the Wasp
From Creating Home

One day some worker bees made a honeycomb in the hollow trunk of an oak. They settled nearby to rest. Then, the drones from their hive flew by. The drones said, “We made that honeycomb. It belongs to us.” “You did not make that honeycomb,” replied the worker bees. “You know very well that you did…
Handout 1: Bee Body Parts
From Creating Home

Printing This Handout Download a high-resolution copy of this Handout (PDF) for printing.
Leader Resource 1: Background on Bees and Beehives
From Creating Home

Bees start off life as eggs. The queen is the only female bee that will reproduce and she will lay all the eggs for a colony. Eggs are deposited in cells of the honeycomb. Soon they develop into larvae, which are cared for by the female worker bees. Worker bees feed the larvae a special substance…
Leader Resource 2: Beehive Poster
From Creating Home

Printing This Handout Download a high-resolution copy of this Handout (PDF) for printing.
Leader Resource 3: Honey Parfaits
From Creating Home

For each parfait, you will need: half a banana a small parfait glass or clear plastic cup 2 tablespoons granola a plastic butter knife 2 tablespoons honey a plastic spoon 2 tablespoons unflavored yogurt, vanilla pudding, or vanilla ice cream a napkin or paper plate Give each child a napkin or pap…
Find Out More
From Creating Home

To learn more about bees and their homes before leading this session, read Leader Resource 1, Background on Bees and Beehives….