Exploring Relationships in Nature Through Real-World Connections

Our recent exploration into the world of bees and flowers has blossomed into a beautiful learning journey, rich with curiosity, and collaboration. In our eyes, bees look like tiny dancers. Humming songs from flower to flower. They become the messengers of summer days, wrapped in stripes of black and gold. Their wings catching sunlight like whispers.

We notice the bees are hovering around our flowers which make us ponder on the following interests:

• How do they know where to go?
• Why do they love flowers so much?
• How do they work together so well?

Emily, in her gentle way, mimics the bees' sweet gesture - bowing low,  her lips opening and closing as if pollinating words with breath.

Kai, on the other hand, is instantly absorbed, his creative mind sparking to life the moment a diverse array of loose parts is laid out before him.

When Emily further moves over to our work table, her fingers are drawn to the vibrant colors of the flowers. Gently tracing the petals, she points to a pattern, murmuring, "Black, yellow, black, yellow."

Kalyan finds joy in the sound 'buzz', his voice rising with excitement as his hand guides his crafted bee in circles through the air, as if it's truly flying. 

As we build our shared understanding of the relationship between flowers and bees as pollinators, we begin crafting artificial flowers - imagined habitats for bees to visit and pollinate.

Through hands-on experiences, we are developing a deeper understanding of the vital relationship between pollinators and plants - not just in theory, but through active engagement and imaginative expression. 

This learning experience becomes more than an art project; it is an experiential way to internalize the concept of pollination. As we work, our shared conversations and creative choices demonstrate a growing collective understanding of how flowers and bees depend on one another.

Through observation, dialogue, creation, and joyful experimentation, we are developing scientific concepts in deeply personal and memorable ways, It is a privilege to witness our ideas take flight - just like the buzzing bees we so enthusiastically bring to life.

While we are engaged in our shared exploration, Luka moves through the environment in his own way - rhythmically pushing his feet one after the other to propel himself forward on his bicycle, discovering the world with each push. Not just that, he seems to be on on the move again when he discovers another way to ride, pushing himself forward on a skateboard with his tummy down, joyfully exploring movement from an entirely different perspective. Though his play appeared parallel, Luka is deeply engaged in his own form of inquiry - using his body, momentum, and surroundings to explore spatial awareness and agency.

​Another learning experience to further extend our interests on bees, as pollinators, begins indoors with a “Plant These to Save the Bees” pollinator kit. Each one of us has the opportunity to choose between planting sunflower or strawberry seeds. We use a special growing medium that are made out of coconut husk, which we expand using water. There is so much curiosity and excitement as the dry medium slowly absorbs the water and fluffs up!

​We fill our paper planters with about three-quarters of the growing medium, gently place our seeds in the center, and then add the remaining medium on top. This sparks conversations about what seeds need to grow. “We have to give them water and wait,” says Emily. “The bees will come when it’s a flower,” adds Kai. We show great care and precision, treating each seed as something precious—something full of potential.

Extending our inquiry beyond the classroom, we take our learning outdoors to participate in the Storm Drain Challenge—a local environmental initiative aims at protecting salmon habitats and raising awareness about water stewardship. This real-world connection allows us to see how our actions, even small ones, can impact the environment and the creatures that rely on it.

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We learn that storm drains in our community lead directly to nearby creeks and rivers, where salmon live and spawn. ​

​To raise awareness, we work together to paint salmon symbols directly beside the storm drains near our center. Kai, Kalyan, and Tvisha take turns holding a stencil in place and carefully dabbing colorful, eco-friendly paint around the outline.

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​We agree that this little piece of art sends a big message: what goes down the drain doesn’t disappear—it travels, and it matters.

Kindest,
Children & Friends.