Franklin Elementary School TK teacher Danielle Eden and students with completed bee sanctuary.
TK students’ interest in bees leads to ‘buzzworthy’ project-based learning
April 8, 2024
Franklin Elementary School’s collaborative transitional kindergarten class is creating quite a buzz with their recent project-based learning unit titled “What’s the Buzz About Bees?” Led by TK teacher Danielle Eden and early childhood special education teacher Nell Canon, this science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics-enhanced initiative has taken a creative approach to early childhood education.
“It all started with this beehive plush counting toy in our classroom that our students were obsessed with,” said Eden. “Students would even play a game at recess where they would run around the playground and pretend to be bees and sting each other and make honey.”
With the TK program at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District consisting of a STEAM-enhanced and Reggio-inspired curriculum guided by students’ interests, it made sense to plan a unit all about bees.
“I believe that a model that builds on children’s interests in a developmentally appropriate, play-based model helps to create students who are invested in learning and love questioning, exploring and discovering new things,” said Canon.
Throughout the project, the TK students immersed themselves in a variety of activities, including reading both nonfiction and fiction books about bees, creating a knowledge, wonder and learned chart, learning about bee anatomy, making 3D models of bees, and exploring the shape of honeycomb with hexagons. They even had the opportunity to taste a variety of types of honey and act out different roles of bees during interactive sessions.
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“Our students were excited that we brought in 23 picture books about bees from the Santa Monica Public Library, along with creative activities like making a clay model of a bee or making a honeycomb with yellow hexagon blocks,” said Eden. “I do think they were most enthusiastic about making the sanctuary because it gave them responsibilities and taught them how they make a difference, even at just 4 years old.”
“What’s the Buzz About Bees?” concluded with the students creating a bee sanctuary. Using recycled school lunch milk cartons filled with nesting tubes, the students made “bee hotels.” The sanctuary also features bee baths and lavender and rosemary plants for nectar and pollen.
“For our students who like constructing, they liked building the beehives, honeycombs and bee baths. For our students who enjoy more dramatic play, they enjoyed engaging in acting out the roles of the bees within the hive,” said Canon. “For our artists, they enjoyed exploration through different materials and mediums.”
Moving forward, the TK students will play the role of beekeepers and help with watering the plants, changing the bee bath water and checking on the nesting tubes.
“The sanctuary is in the TK/kindergarten yard for all students to observe,” said Eden. “I am sure it will be ‘buzzing’ come spring when more bees are out.”
The TK collaborative class at Franklin Elementary School is unique as the first of its kind in SMMUSD as part of the California TK Expansion program. This class brings together TK students with individualized education plans and those in general education, showcasing the school and the district’s commitment to inclusivity and innovative learning.
“We feel lucky that SMMUSD promotes values such as inclusivity and innovative learning, which make teaching in a collaborative classroom and project-based learning possible,” said Eden.
TK students at Franklin Elementary School recently completed a project-based learning unit on bees.
TK students at Franklin Elementary School recently completed a project-based learning unit on bees.
TK students at Franklin Elementary School recently completed a project-based learning unit on bees.