Lesson Plan: Collect Nectar Like a Bee!
What you need:
Small cups
Food coloring or liquid watercolors
Pipettes or small droppers (1 per child)
Paper flower cutouts
Glue stick or tape
Large bowl or container to serve as the “beehive”
Optional: Bee wings or antenna headbands for imaginative play
Learning Goals and Standards
- Introduce children to the job of a honeybee through hands-on play
- Strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Encourage focus, teamwork, and active participation
- Connect science learning with gross motor activity and imaginative play
Preparation:
- Fill each cup with colored water (yellow, pink, purple, etc.)
- Glue or tape a paper flower cutout to the top of each cup (cut a hole in the center so the pipette can go through).
- Spread the flower cups around an outdoor space to create a "flower meadow."
- Place a large container in a central location – this will be the beehive.
What you do:
Circle Time Introduction (5 minutes):
Say to the children:
“Today, we’re turning into busy bees! Did you know that bees use their special tongues to collect nectar from flowers and bring it back to their hive? We’re going to do the same using our pipettes as bee tongues!”
Show a picture of a real bee collecting nectar.
Main Activity (15–20 minutes):
Give each child a pipette.
- Children visit the flower cups, suck up a little “nectar,” and carefully carry it back to the beehive.
- Once at the hive, they squeeze the dropper to release the nectar.
- Repeat until the hive starts to fill with colorful nectar!
Guidelines:
- Visit one flower at a time
- No running – bees fly calmly and with purpose
- Be careful not to spill (just like real bees!)
Wrap-Up Circle (5 minutes):
Gather around the hive and reflect:
“What did it feel like to be a bee?”
“Was it easy or hard to carry the nectar?”
“Why is it important for bees to visit flowers?”
Finish with a cheerful group buzz:
“Buzz buzz buzz—we’re busy bees!”
Extension Ideas:
Let children color or create their own flowers before the activity
Read a nonfiction book about honeybees before or after the game
Add a math element by counting how many “trips” each bee makes
Follow up with a role-play about what bees do with nectar inside the hive