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Waffles & Bumblebees

A week filled with adventure as we set out our mason bee cocoons at the farm, went to Ironwood library, visited Burnett Secondary to play games with Grade 12 psychology students and made homemade waffles. The waffles really were a vehicle for honey. We established we wanted to eat something with honey, in honour of all the honey bees, so we decided on waffles.

We ate our waffles outside on the balcony, with a slight drizzle of rain falling, misting our jackets and waffles! Comments made during waffle eating:

Little Emily: I love you bees!  The honey tastes like wax.
Nicholas: I love you bees but not when you sting me.
Loreli: Yummy honey!
Wayne: I like the waffle.
Cash: I don't like the honey.
Luca: I only like the honey.
Cole: I don't like the waffle but I like the honey.
Alexa: I like it because it is yummy.
Sidney: I like the honey the most.


Cracking eggs is tricky business!

Whisking is so much fun


Adding the dry ingredients



We had a lot of energy after we ate our waffles and honey so we went to the playground and ...


  • danced in the rain
  • played tag in the rain
  • played soccer in the rain
  • dug in the sandbox in the rain
  • sang "grown up " songs in the rain
  • played superheroes in the rain
  • looked for bees in the rain


....until we were all so wet and cold that we had to come in to defrost! Wet pinnies were thrown off, jackets tossed on the floor, socks yanked off, wet pants stickily pulled off wet legs and then...ahhhhh, dry, warm cozy clothes.

After lunch we started to learn about bumblebees- very different from mason and honey bees which was very interesting. Emmett asked the children if they were a bee would they rather be a mason, honey or bumblebee.

The responses:

Colin: Mason, because they don't sting
Cyanna: Mason, because they don't sting
Bryn: Honey, cause they make honey
Loreli: Queen honey bee, cause they lay eggs
Alexa: Mason, because they don't sting
Nico: Honey, cause they make flowers
Zev: Honey, cause they collect stuff to make honey
Luca: Boy mason bee, because they don't sting
Kayla: Mason, because they don't sting
Emily: Bumblebee, cause them live in a family
Wayne: Mason, cause they don't sting
Chloe: Bumblebee, cause they are nice
Nicolas: honey and a bumblebee
Sidney: Bumblebee, cause they are cool, cause they hibernate
Cash: Drone Honey, cause they sting
Brooke: Mason, cause they don't sting
Cole: Honey, cause they get nectar.

And me... if I were a bee... I think I would want to be a female mason bee. They love to take of their eggs, providing them with food and lodging. An ECE bee- what could be better?

What continues to resound so strongly for me as an educator is how important place based, experiential learning is for our children. They legitimately care about bees now. They have developed a connection to them, just as I have. I lie in bed on rainy, windy nights worrying about the bees, wondering what they are doing.  Creating these relationships is vital for the growth of all of us. I see my role as an educator to support this learning and help to build these connections. That said, I am going to check on our bees!

Emily





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