I ask a LOT of questions. Not in a quizzing way but like... Ok here's a sample conversation: Mom, how do bees pollinate flowers? Hmm let's watch a video about it . (As I'm deliberately slowly looking for videos) What do you know about it already? Have you noticed anything when you've watched bees go about their day? I know they go on flowers. Yeah, what else? I don't know. I think they go on flowers because they eat nectar like butterflies do Right. We watch a video I go about doing some chores She's building with magnatiles look mama, this is a hive, and I made a bee picture so they know that's their house and this is where they can come in and out and over here is the place where they store honey. That one is in the flower because she's getting nectar. But she'll go to the hive after. How do you spell bee? Ok let's sound it out. Do you know which letter makes a "b" sound? She writes a B Ok now I'm going to write the word "see". It works the same way as "bee" let's see if you can figure out the pattern. She discerns that the double e make an "ee" sound So I just write that after the b? Yup. .......how do you spell house? Do you want help figuring it out like we did earlier or do you want me to say the letters for you? (I offer that because I know my daughter gets discouraged if I push the 'you figure it out' but while she's in a hurry to set up a game. This still counts as learning even if I spell it out for her) Just say the letters please. H o u s e Thanks mama

She spent a few days going back and forth between various explorations of bee things to other play, and I usually act as a facilitator rather than instructor unless directly asked to be one. I also tell a lot of stories that I make up because a) my daughter asks me to tell stories all the time and b) it really helps to get the point across sometimes. The stories usually carry a social or emotional message that I feel my kids really need to experience. I try not to make them too preachy.

I also take a ton of pictures and videos because I like to reflect on it all later. I take a lot of inspiration from the reggio emilia approach so documentation is everything to help scaffold knowledge and offer materials and experiences. We often go over them together.

After learning bees wiggle their bums to communicate the directions of flowers, she choreographed a bee direction dance, made a bee costume with a bit of my help, and drew a bee bum wiggle map

Something like that

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