The Bees Dance the Way to the Flowers
Children are bees who use a dance to tell each other where the flowers are and fly to collect pollen in the direction the scout shows. It builds body expression and spatial orientation.
How to play
- The teacher explains that bees in the hive don't talk: they dance to show where the flowers are. We fly buzzing "zzz" all around the playground (2 min).
- We gather in the hive (a circle in the middle); the scout bee (the teacher) flies off, finds a flower (a hoop), and comes back to dance: wiggling their bottom and taking small steps toward the flower (3 min).
- The bees copy the dance and fly to that flower, collect pollen by rubbing their legs, and buzz back to the hive (3 min).
- Now a child is the scout: they pick a flower, come back, and dance toward it; the others watch the dance and go find it (4 min).
- We go back to the hive and make honey: in a tight circle we move our arms slowly as if stirring, and our buzz gets quieter until it stops (2 min).
Rules
- In the hive we watch the dance without talking.
- We all fly to the same flower.
- We go back to the hive when the drum plays.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, the dance points very clearly with the arm, and the teacher is always the scout.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, a child is the scout, and flowers are in four different places.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, the dance also shows whether the flower is near (short dance) or far (long dance), and the bees choose the right one.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a child in a wheelchair can be the scout, dancing with arms and torso to point to the flower.
- Hearing impairment: signal the return to the hive by holding the drum up high as well as playing it.
- Autism: preview the order (dance, fly, collect, return) with four pictures at the hive.
Learning goals
- Show a direction using only the body.
- Read a classmate's movement.
- Move as a group to a chosen place.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Hoops: 4
- Hand drum: 1
Teacher tip
Place the flowers in very different directions (one on each side of the playground) so the dance makes sense. At first the scout forgets to point, so help them turn their body toward the flower.
PatioLab has "The Bees Dance the Way to the Flowers" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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