Activity:

Benny Bee and the Honey Hive

Learning Purpose:

Kids will understand the concept and develop observational skills to identify feelings and process them.

Objective:

To help children understand how they collect energy from their day’s experiences, store it, and learn to release it when needed. This activity will take an hour.

Materials Needed:

Yellow and black "bee wings" or headbands (optional for fun)
A small basket or bag for each child (representing a honeycomb)
Coloured painted pinecones, either coloured yellow, blue, red, green from nature or small token items leaves, sticks, stones and flowers to represent "energy" (different colours, and objects for different emotions or experiences)
A large sheet of cardboard or a chalkboard for a “hive” illustration or create a hive out of found objects if you are outside.

Introductory:

Bee Energy 15 minutes
Explain how bees collect nectar from flowers storing it in little bags attached to their legs and bring it back to the hive to make honey. Relate this to how we collect experiences and feelings throughout our day.

Nectar = Daily experiences
Honey = Stored energy (feelings, thoughts, memories)
Read or Listen to Grandmother Tree’s story

Grandmother Tree's Message: Benny the Busy Bee

Deep in the forest with flowers and trees
Lives Benny the Bee and Bee families
Benny flits and he zips from tree to tree,
Collecting sweet pollen, as busy as can be.

“Benny, oh Benny, my busy little Bee
I’m so proud of you, you make magic you see.
Each speck of pollen that the flowers give to you,
Makes the honey for your hive so the hive can live too.

Benny buzzes and buzzes, his wings a blur,
“I love my work!” he says with a purr.
“But sometimes it hurts me Grandmother Tree,
My wings get heavy, I don’t feel free.”

I whisper softly, my branches sway,
“Even the busiest bees need to stop in their day.
When your wings feel tired and you’re feeling alone,

breathe deep and call for your brother the ‘drone’.

You all work together; you make up one hive.
The drones and the workers, together you thrive
You all help each other so tell them your stories
You’ll start to feel light as you let go of your worries.”

“Breathe in the sunlight, the fresh forest air,
and then you’ll feel calm and happiness everywhere.
Let go of your worries like the yellow pollen dust
If you learn to let go you will remember to trust.”

Benny nods and buzzes away,
Collecting the pollen in his playful way.
He hums a tune, both happy and free,
A new song he learned from Grandmother Tree.

So remember, children, like Benny the Bee,
You gather life's treasures and let some fly free.
Work with joy, and remember to pause,
When you start to feel heavy then look for the cause.

Steps

2 - Collecting Energy

(10 minutes)

Start a conversation about different feelings we all might pick up at school, at home or at a shopping centre that might make us feel a bit heavy inside. For example, someone at school might be arguing and it makes us feel something. Help the kids to identify that feeling and ask if it might be a happy feeling, a sad feeling an angry or frustrated feeling or maybe it might be a calm feeling. Scatter coloured pine cones, sticks or other token items around the room or outdoor area, representing flowers.

o Each colour represents a type of experience:

Yellow: Happy moments
Blue: Sad or quiet moments
Red: Angry or frustrated moments
Green: Calm or peaceful moments

o Children “buzz” around, collecting coloured items (nectar) into their baskets.

3 - Storing in the Hive

(5 minutes)

Gather the children at the “hive” (large sheet or chalkboard).

o Have them place their pom-poms into drawn honeycomb cells, sharing briefly what each colour represents for them.

4 - Learning to Let Go
(5 minutes)

Explain that, like bees, we sometimes need to use the honey (energy) we’ve stored or let it go to feel balanced.

o Introduce a simple breathing exercise:

Inhale: Imagine a bee buzzing, collecting good energy.
Exhale: Blow out softly, imagining releasing any energy that feels heavy or stick.

5 - Release or Transform
(5 minutes)

Let children decide what to do with their stored pom-poms:

o Return some to the “flowers” to represent letting go.
o Keep some in their baskets as reminders of good energy.

6 - Wrap-Up Discussion
(5 minutes)

Ask reflective questions:

o How did it feel to collect energy?

o What was it like to choose which energy to keep and which to let go?

o How might this help you when you’re feeling too full or overwhelmed?

Extension Idea:

Create a “Bee Diary” for children to draw or write about the kinds of energy they collected during the day and how they let some of it go before bedtime.

This activity combines physical movement, emotional learning, and mindfulness in a playful, nature-inspired way that’s perfect for young children.