As you may have already heard, we are studying bees! Our classrooms are gradually transforming into beehives as we learn about different types of bees and all of the wonderment surrounding these amazing little creatures.
On Monday, Sarah's father was our special guest and he visited our class and showed us something very special that he had built just for us!
These are Mason bee homes! These particular bees are native to B.C., are ten times better pollinators than the European Honey Bee, and they are typically non-stinging. The great thing is that we now have a Mason Bee house in our outdoor garden area!
Here is a picture of the Pupa developing inside.
Many thanks to Sarah's dad for this very special gift.
On Wednesday, we had another guest. This guest was from the Burnaby Art Gallery and she lead us through a wonderful experience of music and creating print art.
The children sketched images then added colour.
Here are some finished masterpieces!
Thursday was a very exciting day for Divisions 1 and 2 as we went on a field trip to the Honeybee Centre in Langley.
The children first watched a bee keeper open up a hive box and show us a cross section of the hive. It was so interesting!
Afterwards, we participated in a variety of activities that taught us more about bees.
We tasted different types of honey.
And we even got to dress up like real bee keepers! Hey who's the guy in the background?
We also visited the bugs and insects room where we saw several of our familiar hairy-legged friends - tarantulas!
Next week, we will be planting sunflower seeds in the classroom and in our plant bed by the bee house. On Wednesday, we are looking for parent volunteers to help us with this potentially messy activity. If you would like to help, please talk to Sarah or Olivia.
* We are collecting books for our fundraiser. If you have any gently-used books that are looking for new homes, please bring them in!
* Spring Fling Silent Auction Basket: Divisions 1 and 2 will be creating baskets for our annual silent auction. Each class chooses a theme and then we all donate things related to that theme. Once the basket is full, we wrap it up and then put it in the auction. Funds raised by the event go right back into the school. It's also a lot of fun!
This year, we have chosen a BEE theme! We already have a Mason Bee house made by Sarah's wonderful dad, a book on Mason Bees and some honey treats. Let's fill this basket! Many thanks in advance for your continued support, help and generosity.
Have a great week and BEE happy!
