Primary Students – 6 & 7 year olds
This spring has been a season of transformation in Rooms 3 & 4, where our budding environmentalists embarked on a buzzing adventure to understand the world of bees. Through art and play-based learning, the students have developed a profound respect and empathy for these tiny yet mighty pollinators.
The Community Bee Hive created by students (Image 1). Environmental activist posters created by students (Image 2).
Throughout this year, CONNECT Researcher Dr. Christine Lee and Demonstration Teacher Anna Terrazas (Rooms 3 & 4) have been collaborating on a research project to investigate the impact of play and the arts on students’ learning of interdependent relationships between people, pollinators, and plants. The main components of these interdependent relationships were the flowers and the bee’s reliance on one other. The students slowly learned how much these aspects of nature depend on each other and how much people depend on them to survive. We began with the structure and function of plants and flowers. The students were able to develop a deeper understanding of the inner workings of plants and flowers because we began planting native plants in our gardens around campus in the winter. In the Spring, we started the investigation into bees as the students began their journey to the Pollinator Party. We played and used a variety of art mediums, such as sketches, clay, and cardboard bee wings, to embody and gain the perspective of how bees are important.
If you walk into Rooms 3 & 4, you will see colorful posters and intricate graphic organizers documenting the students’ newfound passion for environmentalism. As students explored the intricate workings of bee colonies, their perceptions of these insects shifted dramatically. Initially, many were apprehensive, even fearful of bees. But as they delved into the life of the hive, understanding what bees need and how vital they are to our ecosystem, a remarkable change occurred. The fear began to dissipate, replaced by deep-seated respect and curiosity.
Students’ sketchbooks outlining the importance and role of worker bees (Images 3 & 4). Students’ diagram of a bee (Image 5).
Through play, we spent time understanding the hive’s complex social structure. Rooms 3 & 4 students imagined themselves as different members of a bee colony; worker bee, drone bee, and the queen bee. They were particularly struck by the drones’ plight, initially feeling dismayed at how drones are expelled from the hive during winter to conserve resources. With each lesson, their empathy grew, and they started seeing things from the bees’ perspective. What seemed like a harsh reality became a testament to the hive’s efficiency and survival strategy.
Images 6 & 7. The worker bees (students) playing and working in the hive.
By embodying the hive’s dynamics, students learned to view the world from the viewpoint of a bee. This immersive, embodied, and meaningful experience fostered a connection that textbooks alone could never achieve. They became empathetic towards bees, even feeling genuine sadness upon discovering dead bees– a far cry from the initial fear some had felt. Even the jar of dead bees (see image 8) the students procured over the last few months allowed students to see firsthand what all these lessons were really about. Over time, as students collected more dead bees, they realized that some of the bees looked bigger–leading to the hypothesis that our jar of dead bees had both worker bees and larger drone bees.
Image 8. The jar of dead bees found on our campus.
On June 11th, our efforts culminated in a delightful Pollinator Party, a celebration where students proudly showcased their learning and artistic creations from the past few months. We handed out maps of the campus featuring QR codes linked to student-made videos about bees and the plants they had nurtured. With excitement, students pulled their parents towards their artwork, passionately explaining the life cycle of bees and the crucial role of pollinators in our food system.
Image 9. The map created by Rooms 3 & 4 students.
The space between Rooms 3 & 4 was transformed into a vibrant forest scene, complete with trees lining the walls and a carefully crafted hive nestled underneath. Each honeycomb piece, fitting together like a giant puzzle, was adorned with representations of larvae, mites, and bees. The students created flowers laden with lemons and eggplants to illustrate how pollinators contribute to the food we eat. Turning around, visitors were greeted by a sea of posters, each one a testament to the students’ commitment to environmental stewardship.
Image 10. The classroom community hive.
The walls echoed with the children’s voices, advocating for the bees they had come to love. Posters proclaimed, “Help the Bees!” and “Plant More Flowers to Help the Hive,” reflecting their newfound determination to support these essential creatures. One poster, in particular, stood out with a heartfelt plea: “Time is ticking save the bees. Bees give us froots and vechtable. Plant more flwers and trees. Use electric cars instric of gas.” It was a touching reminder of the clarity and sincerity with which children see the world and express their concerns.
Images 11, 12, & 13. Environmentalist posters promoting the protection of the bees.
Play-based learning has not only instilled a sense of environmental responsibility but also fostered empathy and understanding. Our students have become champions for the bees, demonstrating how education can inspire a genuine connection to nature. Their journey from fear to fascination and concern showcases the power of experiential learning in shaping future environmentalists. The ability for students to learn through reading, play, art, and even seeing dead bees offers a deeper level of understanding. As one can see, the classroom is full of different mediums of art that allow these students to showcase their knowledge and demonstrate a deeper level of understanding–something that memorizing scientific facts would never be able to illustrate. The intersectionality of learning that the students can experience is something that I would hope every classroom will be able to achieve.
As we have been learning alongside Rooms 3 & 4 all year, I am excited to see how our students will apply their passion and creativity to new environmental challenges. As someone who hopes to go into environmental activism curricula in the future, this strengthening of the lens proves to demonstrate an understanding and passion for making the world a better place in these students that I had never seen before.
Curren Mandon, currently in his fourth year at UCLA, is pursuing a degree in Education and Social Transformation. He aspires to become an environmental curriculum developer for elementary schools, aiming to infuse classrooms with more greenery and play-based learning experiences. Throughout this school year, Curren has assisted Dr. Christine Lee as a CONNECT Research Intern, documenting the progress of their year-long project.
This blog post comes from a CONNECT Research study, Climate Literacy through Play and STEAM Education. Questions about this study can be directed to Dr. Christine Lee (clee@labschool.ucla.edu).