In a time when it is easy to be overcome by fear or worry, we want this series of blog posts to give you simple, gentle, and dynamic ways to reclaim an atmosphere of peace, joy, and wonder in your home. We can all then help shine light to the world by sharing how we are choosing beauty daily. Please join us by using the hashtag #choosingbeauty on social media.
#ChoosingBeauty – Day 11
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All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.
All things wise and wonderful the Lord God made them all.
-Cecil Frances Alexander
“Beekeeper” by Ivan Kramskoy (1872)
Activities
Look: Study the picture. Notice everything you can and try to remember it. What time of day does it look like? What season? I wonder what the beekeeper is thinking. I wonder what stories he could tell you. What do you think? Close your eyes. Can you still imagine the picture? Tell what plants you recognized. Open your eyes. What direction is the sun? Close your eyes again. Tell everything you remember without looking.
Read: “Old Bumble” Hexapod Stories by Edith Patch, p.17-33
Observe: Where there are flowers, there are usually bees. To view bees around your home, a walk in the morning hours may be best. Find a spot to perhaps sit and observe a clump of freshly blossomed flowers on the ground or in a tree. Whether you discover bees or not, enjoy seeing what insects may be busy around you.
Read: “Bees” by Lola Ridge
Listen: “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by the London Cello Orchestra. Isn’t it interesting how musicians can make music sound like bees buzzing?
Share: How do you feel about bees? What did you find outdoors today? Did any of today’s activities remind you of some other experience you have had with insects? #choosingbeauty
More to Read and Do:
“The Honeybee” Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock
The Bee People by Margaret Morley
For a close up of the bee, watch this shortened documentary of the Bee’s Dance by Smithsonian Channel. Print the bee sketch and label the insect’s parts. If you like, use watercolor or pencils to complete the drawing.
©Charlotte Mason Institute 2020
