Learning About Honeybees with Fun Montessori Preschool Classroom Activities

Here are a few more Montessori Preschool activity ideas with photos to share from our study of honeybees, which I began in Part 1 of this article.

I think the cutest part of the whole theme was seeing the children “buzzing” around the garden with their cotton swab honeybees taking great care to pollinate the various flowers. They took their job very seriously and it was adorable to watch!

Learning About Honeybees with Fun Montessori Preschool Classroom Activities

Bee Washing

I was so excited when I found this giant bee at the dollar store and I knew it would be the perfect addition to our honeybee theme. The children fill up the container with water and then use the toothbrush and soap to scrub the bee. Once they are done scrubbing the bee, they give him a rinse, empty out the water and then tidy everything up as they found it. It’s amazing how long some children will sit and scrub the bee … he is one clean honeybee!

Bee Scooping

I found this set of bees at the dollar store as well and the beauty of them is that they float in the water. With this Practical Life activity, the child fills up the bucket with water and then pours the bees into the water. We all know that bees can’t survive in water so the children use the scoop to rescue the bees and place them back in the bowl where they are safe. This particular activity is a very popular one and in constant use!

Chopsticks and Colored Bees

This activity was found at a teacher’s store and it is one of my favorites. The children first build the honeycomb any way they want and then use the chopsticks to place the colored bee in the corresponding colored cell of the honeycomb. It’s not only cute, but it is an excellent activity for refining a child’s fine motor control and concentration!

Beehive Finger Play

The child hides the bees under the beehive and recites the following finger play. When they get to the end of the finger play, they remove the bees one by one and then arrange the numbers in order on the felt board.

Here is the beehive
But where are the bees
Hiding inside where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them come out of their hive — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Q-tip Bee

I was introduced to this concept at a nature workshop and the children loved it. First you insert a cotton swab in the end of a straw and tape it so it stays in place. Then you color the end of the cotton swab with a yellow marker and then use a black sharpie to make the stripes. Voila -- the perfect honeybee! Each child is given a “Cotton Honeybee” and shown how to pollinate the flowers in the garden. The children were so cute running around the garden collecting pollen from the stamens of the flowers and then buzzing along to the next flower. Such a fun, hands-on way to learn about pollination!

This year long series looks at the experiences of teachers, parents, students, and Montessori education itself, as we follow a student through his first year at a Montessori Preschool. Montessori Insights and Reflections of a Preschool Child’s First Year is a collection of useful stories, tips, and information that have arisen from one real student's Montessori journey.

Bree — NAMC Tutor & Graduate

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Thursday, June 23, 2011.