Cardboard Bee and Hive
April 22 is the day we celebrate Earth Day. We think about ways we can protect our planet and celebrate loving the Earth. Our planet is so important and unfortunately choices we have made are contributing to environmental problems. This activity is a great way to reuse some of the cardboard boxes you may have at home. Break down a few cardboard boxes and save them to use for this and other activities with your child.
Bees are an important part of our environment. They help pollinate and create new foods for us. There is certainly a fear of bees, however it is important to understand them and respect the work they do for us. I always try to tell my kids to quietly and calmly move away if you see bees. They do not want to hurt you, but protect themselves or their hive. Bees have important work to do and we should leave them alone. We can help bees also by planting flowers and plants that they enjoy.
Create this adorable bee and hive using a cardboard box. After reading several books allow your child to act out how the bees gather pollen and return back to the hive to make honey.
Supplies:
- Cardboard boxes
- Yellow and black acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Yellow yarn
- Googly eye
- Popsicle stick
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Black pipe cleaner
- Clear contact paper
- Hot glue gun
- Hive print out
Instructions:
- Glue the hive printout onto a piece of cardboard. Next, cut it out to create the hive. Since you will be cutting cardboard, this is a step that is best for adults to complete.
- Use yellow acrylic paint to paint the hive yellow. This can also be completed with a marker of crayon.
- Cut out an oval shape of cardboard for the bee's body. Again, this is best done by an adult. After paint the bee's body with black acrylic paint.
- Use your hot glue gun to attach a piece of yellow yarn to the back of the bee's body. Then, wrap the yarn around to create the bee's striped body.
- Attach the googly eye with the hot glue gun.
- Cut your pipe cleaner in quarters. Use 2 pieces to create the bee's antennae. Use your hot glue gun to attach to the back of the bee.
- Lastly, hot glue a popsicle stick to the back.
- Take a piece of clear contact paper and fold it in half. Next, cut 2 wing shapes out. Attach to the back of the bee.
- You can create a small stand for your hive to allow it to stand up. The bee and hive are ready for imaginative play or use to act out a bee story you have read aloud to your child.
Books about Bees I recommend to read aloud with your child:
- “I Am a Bee” by Rebecca McDonald - this book uses colorful illustrations to teach children about the importance of bees and the importance of their jobs for our world.
- “The Honeybee” by Kirsten Hall: This book is such a fun read about the life of bees. There are look of onomatopoeia words in this book. What is onomatopoeia? It is a word that imitates sounds and in books these words are often written in all uppercase letters. This is a great way to explain how as a reader when we see all capital letters, we shout the word. Invite your child to look at these words and read along with you.
- “Please Please the Bees” by Gerald Kelly: Benedict loves his honey, but doesn’t appreciate how hard it is for the bees to produce until they go on strike! He then works hard to help the bees and learns to be a beekeeper.
Find this book read aloud by actress Rashida Jones on Storyline Online. Storyline Online was a favorite of mine when I was teaching 1st grade. It was so fun for the kids to hear another adult read to them. There are a wide range of stories on the website and is a good choice for screentime.
- “The Bee Who Lost Her Buzz” by Little Hippo Books: Little Bee buzzes through the colorful garden teaching your little one about colors. However, she is not sharing all of the wonderful pollen and leaves none left for any of her friends. She eats too much and has lost her buzz! She realizes how selfish she was and her friends are helpful when she needs them. This book will teach about kindness, sharing and trying new things.
- “The Bee Who Hated Honey” by Adisan Books Benny the Bee doesn’t like honey! This is so strange for the other bees and the queen to hear. However, they are open to trying his food and find out it is delicious! Benny becomes a famous chef and discovers it is okay to be an individual and to accept others for their differences.
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