Where does honey come from?
LESSON 1
Children become curious about where honey comes from by baking a recipe using honey.
Ingredients for honey cinnamon shortbread cookies or recipe of choice (ideas linked here)
Kitchen tools necessary for recipe
Aprons (optional)
Materials
Gather materials for lesson.
Prepare the workspace for baking
Preparations
Promote curiosity and interest in bees
Facilitate a safe and positive learning environment
Demonstrate proper measuring and mixing techniques
Foster communication skills by encouraging child to discuss their experience
Provide opportunities for children to ask questions
Objectives for Teachers
Children become curious about honey and where it comes from
Children develop an appreciation for the natural world and the importance of bees in our ecosystem
Children improve their communication skills by discussing the process of making food with honey
Children practice following a recipe and measuring ingredients accurately
Children practice fine motor skills by mixing, scooping, and shaping dough
Children learn about kitchen safety and hygiene
Objectives for Children
Collect and Connect
Here is the beehive
Here is the beehive.
But where are all the bees?
Hiding away where nobody sees.
Here they come flying out of their hive.
One, two, three, four, five!
Here is the beehive.
But where are all the bees?
Hiding away where nobody sees.
Here they come flying out of their hive.
One, two, three, four, five!
Buzz up high. Buzz down low.
Buzzing fast. Buzzing slow.
Buzz to the left. Buzz to the right.
Buzz all day but sleep at night.
Here is the beehive.
But where are all the bees?
Hiding away where nobody sees.
Here they come flying out of their hive.
One, two, three, four, five!
Play a simple game of your child's choice together (Simon says, hide and go seek, mother, may I?)
Learn “Here is the beehive,” song for the fingerplay this week and come up with actions together.
Activity Flow
Begin by introducing the activity to the child and explain that you will be making honey cinnamon shortbread cookies together (or recipe of choice).
Show the child the recipe and explain the ingredients needed, then gather the ingredients together and place them on your work surface.
Work together to prepare the honey cinnamon shortbread cookies. Encourage your child to use their senses as they prepare the food. We especially like to smell ingredients (like spices), taste ingredients that are safe to eat uncooked, and feel the ingredients in our hands. This is a great time to introduce or practice building your child's vocabulary by describing what you are feeling, tasting, and smelling. When it is time to add the honey, ask your child if they know where honey comes from and encourage them to share their thoughts or ideas.
Continue to help the child measure and mix the ingredients together, emphasizing the importance of accuracy in measuring.
Assist the child in shaping the dough into cookies and placing them on a baking sheet. We stamped our cookies with bee stamps to go along with our theme, but they are not necessary.
Bake the cookies in the oven and explain the process of how heat transforms the dough into crispy cookies.
While waiting for the cookies to bake, continue discussing bees by answering any questions the child may have. It is also helpful to ask questions to gauge their existing knowledge about bees. Here are some questions, ask as many or little as your child can handle.
What do you know about bees?
How do you think bees make honey?
Why do you think bees are important?
What colors are bees?
How do bees fly and move around?
How do bees sound?
What do you think bees eat?
Do you think bees communicate with each other?
8. After the cookies have finished baking, allow them to cool and then drizzle more honey on top.
9. Enjoy the cookies together while continuing to talk about bees and what they would like to know about bees.
