Making History with the Bumble Bees

One day in November, the children were being gathered at the end of our morning playground time to return to the classroom. The teachers called to the children, "Three-year-olds, meet by the gate." Then we realized that some of the children were no longer three years old! We needed to have a name that fit all the children.


As we were scheduled for our C.E. class, the children went into the C.E. cottage. The teachers decided that this would be a good time to talk about what we could name ourselves. We talked about how the class we had last year had named themselves "The Golden Owls." The children in that class are now in Kindergarten, but this year's four-year-old class decided to adopt the same name. What could our name be?

The teachers asked the children for ideas. They started calling out animal names, which we wrote on the board. The ideas they suggested were Dinosaurs, Ducks, Bunny Rabbits, Tigers, Elephants, and Bumble Bees. The children then voted. The process was a challenge! They couldn't understand that they needed to choose just their one favorite name, and ended up voting for all the ones they liked! The teachers took the two names with the most votes, Tigers and Bumble Bees, and had the children vote again. The children had a much easier time with only two options. Bumble Bees was the winner! Everyone was so excited they began to clap and cheer!

Upon returning to class, the teachers decided to have the children work on their new identity with a provocation.  The children were asked to draw their image of a bumble bee. We didn't provide any pictures or photos, as we wanted to see their own ideas. Here are a few of their drawings.

The preschool children know whether they are a Golden Owl or a Bumble Bee. Our 3's class have enjoyed buzzing and flying back to the classroom. The four-year-old children in the class appreciate not being called "the three-year-old class." We wondered why this group of children named themselves the Bumble Bees. Could it be that the name Bumble Bees was chosen because of the new Bee Movie? Was it chosen because of the Bumble Bee character in the Transformers movie? Was it simply because the child who suggested the name Bumble Bees has a bee as the "name stamp" that he uses in the classroom?  Or could it be that the bee was chosen because of an interest in what was shared at an assembly about a bee stinging a teacher on the lip? (This stinger was brought back to school and put under the microscope and enlarged on a screen to show the children what it looked like. The enlargement was bigger than the three-year-olds! Yikes!)  Whatever the reason, the name "Bumble Bees" resonated with each child in some way.

As we celebrate Mid-Pacific's 100th year in Manoa valley, we wonder how we as teachers can help our children understand the significance of this event, when the world outside the classroom may be hard for a three-year-old to comprehend. How should we share this celebration with the children so it is meaningful? Should we share the community that makes up Manoa through field trips with the class? Or should we focus on the mysteries just outside our classroom? What experiences can we provide for our children to make an impression the way a simple bumble bee has? Creating a sense of 'ohana and belonging as a "bumble bee" may be just the place to start.

 

Posted on January 14, 2008 3:12 PM | Permalink