Morning

Activity: Modeling Beeswax or Playdough

Modeling wax or playdough helps to develop a healthy tactile sense and helps to foster fine motor development in the hand, contributing to future fine motor required skills, including handwriting.

A Beeswax Story
Shared by Louise deForest

The wind sweeps all throughout the world, over deserts and mountains, jungles and oceans. As it travels, it gathers stories from all the different lands. The leaves of the trees catch these stories as the wind rustles through the leaves and drops them down to the flowers, who save those stories for the bees because bees love stories.

When the bees come to gather the pollen, they also gather up the stories brought by the wind, held by the leaves of the trees and dropped into the flowers' open cups. As the bees make the walls of their babies' rooms out of beeswax, they put the stories into the walls, as well so their babies will know something about the world. The bees know that all human beings like stories too. So in your beeswax, you will find a story that has been put there just for you. But you will only find the story if you let the good sun shine through.

Don’t have modeling beeswax at home? Check out Palumba or Nova Natural!

If you want to utilize playdough rather than modeling beeswax, but still want to establish a relationship with honeybees, there is good news! You can do both!

The next time you are on a walk around the block, in the backyard, or looking out from a window, see if you can identify the honeybees visiting the leaves, blossoms, and buds in your area. Have a little taste of honey on a spoon, and thank the bees for sharing their nectar. If you have a beeswax candle at home, light it before your meals, thank the bees for sharing their wax and light and bless your food, much of which grew because of the bees doing their good work of pollination.

For additional activity ideas, click here.

Snack: Oatmeal Day

Prepare the amount of oatmeal that you desire according to the number of bellies you will feed. Feel free to use the variety of oatmeal your family likes best. Bob's Redmill has a nice, gluten-free option. We use a 3:1 ratio. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Add a vanilla extract and cinnamon to taste.

We add a can of full-fat Coconut Milk at the end.

Toppings:
Honey or maple syrup, raisins, dried coconut flakes

Sides:
Any variety of nuts you prefer and sliced apples

The Adventures of Ms. Stephanie

For the complete collection of The Adventures of Ms. Stephanie, click here.

Afternoon

Golden Bells for Rest Time

Sammy the Squirrel Story

For the complete collection of Sammy the Squirrel stories, click here.

Rest Time Song & Verse

Evening Wind
Adapted from Wilma Ellersiek

Blow the evening wind so mild
Rest my little flower child
Lu lu lu lu lu, lu lu lu lu lu

Flowers Grow
Words by Monica Stone
This verse can be accompanied by gentle therapeutic touch to help your child come to a state of rest and wellbeing.

The flowers, they grow on your ten little toes
With forefinger and thumb, gently caress and massage each toe
All the way up to your little nose
Gently draw finger down the length of child’s nose
The petals, they softly brush your cheek
Gently brush each cheek with back of your hand
As you lay down and fall fast asleep
Gently run fingers along child’s brow

Fingerplay

Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them
Come out of the hive
One, two, three, four, five

They buzz so high
They buzz so low
Thye buzz so fast
And they buzz so slow

They buzz. to the left
And they buzz to the right

They buzz all the day long
And go to sleep at night

Fairy Flowers

Make a teeny tiny flower arrangement for a doll house, fairy house, child’s bedside table, or centerpiece.

Follow along with Ms. Dylan’s Tutorial.