ABC, I Believe

The Letter B

God’s Masterpiece
Written by Carolyn Warvel

Bible Reference: Psalm 139:14-16

Printable Bible Verse Cards -  (Younger children) Print out onto card stock, write the Bible verse on the cards and make copies. (Large file or small file), Blank cards (Large file or small file)

Dictionary word: (Older Children)

Masterpiece: An exceptionally good piece of creative work.

Teaching Concept:  God loves you and knows you. He created you for a purpose. You are special and have a special job to do for God.

Getting Connected - The Lesson

God created so many wonderful and amazing insects. He purposely created each type of insect and each one has an important place in this world. Bedbugs, spiders, ants, and even cockroaches are all very important. Bees also play a very important part in our lives. Honeybees and other bees are important because they pollinate flowers that produce the fruit we eat. Trees and plants must be pollinated in order for them to produce a crop. If they don't get pollinated, they don't produce fruit.

Plants can be pollinated in different ways, but somehow the pollen has to find the stamen of the flower in order to produce seeds and fruit. Some pollen is blown by the wind from one plant to the other. Bees are responsible for pollinating about one third of our trees and crops that produce the food we eat. Without bees we would have far less food to eat.

God created bees for a special purpose; they have a very big job to do. But he made them perfectly suited for this job. They all work together and each has a special job; no job is more important than the other. There are lots of different kinds of bees, but honeybees are especially good at pollinating. Let's look at some of the jobs honeybees do:

The Queen Bee
There is only one queen bee for each hive. She spends her whole life laying eggs to make more bees. She will lie over 200,000 eggs in one season.

The Drone Bees
There are about 100 drone bees. Their only job is to mate with the queen bee.

The Worker Bees
There are thousands of worker bees in the hive. They all have special jobs to do according to their age.

The youngest bees stay in the hive and work. They keep the hive clean and look after the developing larvae and pupae. Some of them take care of the queen bee and the drones. They also produce wax to make the honeycomb bigger, and cap the cells after the eggs or honey is placed inside.

As the bees get older, they work at the outer area of the hive. Some of them build new cells. They fan the nest with their wings to cool it off when it gets too hot. If it is still too hot, some bees will bring water to the hive to help cool it off. If it gets too cold, they will produce heat by contracting their flight muscles without moving their wings. Some of the worker bees guard the hive. If other insects or bees try to enter the hive, the guard bee will attack the intruder and will die to protect the hive. Other worker bees go out and collect the pollen and nectar from flowers that are used to feed the bees. Some of it is stored up for the winter months.

As you see, there are many, many things that have to be done in order to keep the hive going; and each bee is very important.

Think about it. If God created these tiny little insects for such an important job, how much more important is the job you were created for? Just like these insects God has a plan for your life. But you are so much more important than an insect. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:10, "We are God's masterpiece (or workmanship) and with Jesus at work within us, we can do the good things he planned for us to do." The dictionary says a masterpiece is an exceptionally good piece of creative work. God created you different than the bees. You are much, much more important to him than the bees. He created you in his image and gave you a free will. That means that he gave you the ability to choose how you would live your life.

Prayer

Father, We praise you for creating us. We thank you for your loving kindness.  Help us to make the right choices and live the life you intended us to live. Help us to glorify you through our actions and to be happy with the way you created us.

Staying Connected

1. Play a concentration memory verse game - Print out the flower patterns onto different colors of card stock and cut them out.  On the back of each flower write one word of the memory verse. Mix the cards up and place them on a table so that the words don’t show.  Have your children take turns turning over the cards until someone finds the first word of the memory verse and then the second and third until all the words are gone.

2. Play “Follow the Bee to the Flower” - Print out the flower patterns, beehive, and large flower pattern and cut them out. On the back of each flower write one word of the memory verse (you don’t have to use the whole memory verse). Make a bunch of extra flowers with no words on the back. Place the large flower at one end of the table and the beehive at the other. Place the flowers with the memory verse in a zigzag row leading to the big flower so that they are in the order of the verse. Place the extra flowers in between the memory verse flowers. Have the children take turns being the bee. Starting at the beehive have a child turn over a flower near the beehive looking for the first word of the memory verse.  If he finds the first word, he can then turn over another flower nearby looking for the second word of the verse. If he doesn’t pick the right word he has to go back to the beehive and wait for his next turn to try again. You can turn over all the flowers again so that none of the words show or you can have the next child continue where the first child left off. The first child to reach the big flower at the end wins.  Or keep playing until all the children can get to the big flower by remembering the sequence of flowers.

3. God's Plan for you - Bees do what they do because God gave them the instinct to do it. They don't have a choice in what they can do. They can't decide to go their own way or follow another plan. God created you to do good works, but you have to choose to do them. He has a plan for you to do good things. He wants you to glorify him in everything you do, but it is up to you to follow his plan for your life. Ask your child what good things God would like him to do now as a youngster. Some things might be: To tell others about Jesus, invite friends to church, learn as much as he can about God, grow to be more and more like Jesus, etc.

Ask your child what he thinks God's plan might be for him in the future. Do we need to know God's plan for our lives? Do we have to know what God wants us to be? If your child doesn't have any idea what he would like to do or be in the future, tell him that we already know what God wants us to do. He wants us to do good things. If we do that, we will be following his plan for our lives. God will work out everything else. If your child thinks he might know what God wants him to do in the future, go to the library or search online to find information on your child's particular interest. For example, if your child thinks God might want him to be a doctor, discuss the different types of doctors and what they do.

4. You were created in God's own likeness. That means you have some of the same characteristics as God. You may not be the smartest person, or the fastest, or the prettiest, or the most athletic person, you may think that you don't have any special talents at all, but God created you just the way he wanted you to be. The Bible says that he knew you before you were even born. It says he wove you together. He made you just the way he wanted you to be. Read Psalm 139:14-16, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Talk to your child about when he was born, the names you had picked out for him, how you prepared for his birth, etc. Remind him that you didn't know what he would look like or even if he would be a boy or a girl, but God knew; and he gave you just the right child to take care of. God had it all planned out. Pull out your child's baby pictures and spend some time looking at them and talking about them.

5. “Bee” Quiet - Have all the children sit in a circle. Whisper a word or phrase from the lesson or a portion of the Bible verse into one child’s ear. Have that child then whisper the same thing into the ear of the child sitting on the right. Continue this until it gets to the last child. Have that child say the word or phrase out loud. Is it the same as it started? Begin again with a new child!

Penmanship

1. Practice printing and writing - Your child should practice the same worksheet for several days. This will not only help with his writing, but will help him remember the Bible verse. On the third or fourth day, your child should draw his own picture relating to the Bible verse and then write the letter, word, or Bible verse on the bottom of the page. On the fifth day, your child should try to write or say the letter, word, or verse from memory.

B - (Eph. 2:10)

1. Tracing dotted letters - gif format 100 dpi gif format 72 dpi

2. Printing using arrows - gif format 100 dpi gif format 72 dpi

3. Cursive writing letter B - gif format 100 dpi gif format 72 dpi

4. Cursive writing Bible Verse - gif format 100 dpi gif format 72 dpi

5. Printing the whole Bible Verse - gif format 100 dpi, gif format 72 dpi

6. Print the word "bee" - gif format 100 dpi gif format 72 dpi

7. Letter B Poster - Use this sheet to hang up in your room to make a whole collection of the letters with the Bible verse and related animal. gif format 100 dpi, gif format 72 dpi

Printing Problems? Click here

Art

1. Take a look at some oil paintings that are considered masterpieces on this web site. http://www.masterpiece-paintings-gallery.com/

2. Make a Bee and Flower Mobile - for directions to this craft go to the crafts.

3. Plant flowers to attract honeybees. Decorate a plastic cup with flower and bug stickers and then plant some flower seeds. Use the bee patterns to make plant stakes by gluing the bees to a craft stick.

4. Make a Craft Spoon Bee - For directions go to the Crafts Page for directions.

5. Make a Plaster of Paris Bee - For directions for this craft go to the Crafts Page.

6. Make bubble print honeycombs - Explain to the children that you are going to make a honeycomb. Give each child a piece of bubble wrap and a piece of construction paper. Have them dip their wrap into paint and press on the paper. Embellish with bee stickers! Older children can experiment with wax. Have them pour cooled, but runny paraffin wax over their piece of bubble wrap. Let cool until hard. Then, gently peel wax off the wrap. Decorate with pompoms for bees or with bee stickers.

7. Make fingerprint bees - Give each child a piece of paper. Have them press their finger into paint or ink to make fingerprint bees. Decorate with markers or crayons. Glue Honeycomb cereal onto the paper for the hive.

8. “My Masterpiece” - Repeat the dictionary word “masterpiece” for the children again and explain the definition one more time. Then, invite the children to create their own masterpiece. Set out a variety of art materials such as paper, paint, crayons, miscellaneous art supplies, variety of paintbrushes, chalk, etc. Have them create their very own picture of whatever they want – their masterpiece. Let dry and display throughout the room where all parents can see them.

God's Wonderful Creation - Science

Preschool - Third Grade

1. Bees are important - Bees are very important because they help pollinate the flowers that produce the food we eat. Have your child name three other insects and help him discover why those insects are important.

2. "Beeline" game (learn the names of common flowers) - You will need different kinds of flowers cut from paper (use clip art) or artificial silk flowers. You can use more than one of each kind of flower. Before the game review with the children what each type of flower is called. Place the flowers all over the room. Have the children buzz around the room acting like bees. When you call out the name of a flower the bees look for that type of flower, grab it up, and make a "beeline" to the hive (finish line). The first child to make it to the hive with the right kind of flower wins. (Learning moment. After a bee locates nectar and fills its self up with it, he takes off in a straight line back to the hive or makes a "beeline" to the hive.)

3. Plant flowers to attract bees. Plant flowers such as sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, mint, and clover. Spend time in your garden and try to discover which types of flowers they like best. Try to catch a glimpse of the pollen sacks on large bumblebees as they fly from flower to flower. You really can see them. http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/na/bgardn.html

4. Learn about bees online. Here are some web sites with good information about bee:

1. Nova Online - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/

5. What is honey? - Learn about honey. You will find lots of fun facts about honey on NOVA's web site (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/buzz.html).

6. Look at a close-up picture of a bee - Go to Windows of the Internet to view a close-up picture of a bee. (http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/life/images/bee_jpg_image.html)

7. Examine a beehive - If possible, bring in an abandoned beehive and comb for the students to examine. Provide magnifying glasses to get an up close look!

8. Secret Smells - Tell the students that bees recognize each other by using their sense of smell. Try this out by playing a game of secret smells. Spray or dip cotton balls in the following scents making two of each: perfume, lemon juice, liquid spices, vinegar, or any other smell that is easily recognizable. Place these cotton balls in a plastic bag. Give one to each child making sure that another child has the match. Have them go around the room using their noses to find their secret partner. If you have a small group or a younger group, just make one of each scent and set them on a table. Have the children try to guess what the scent is.

Preschool - Third Grade

1. Following Directions - Hide a flower somewhere in your room. Explain to your child that when a bee finds flowers it flies back to the hive and tells the other bees in the hive where to find the flowers using a dance. Tell your child to pretend that he is a bee and that you are the bee that is telling him where to find the flowers; only you are going to use words. Use terms like forward, backward, to the right, to the left. If you have older children you can use north, south, east, west, northeast, etc. You can also practice memory skills by giving more than one instruction at the same time. See how many instructions your children can remember without having to be reminded.

2. Odd or even bees - Print out the bee patterns (Large file or small file) and cut them out. Write odd and even numbers on the bee's wings. Print out two beehives (Large file or small file) and write "odd numbers" on one hive and "even numbers" on the other.

3. Review math facts game - Print out the bee patterns (Large file or small file) and cut them out. Write numbers on the backs of the bees depending on which math facts you are learning. Place all the bees face up on the table. Have your child pick two bees, turn them over, and read the numbers. He should then add, subtract, multiply or divide the two numbers. If he gets it correct, he gets to keep the bees. If he gets it wrong, he has to place the bees back down on the table.

4. Review place value - Print out the bee patterns (Large file or small file) and cut them out. Write numbers on the bee's wings. Print out a beehive (Large file or small file) and write different place values on the layers of the beehive. For example, if your child is learning his place values up to the thousands, write: ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands on the beehive starting from the bottom. Your child should read a number on one of the bees and decide the largest place value the bee can be placed in and then place it on that level. Keep playing until he places all the bees in the correct position.

5. Study shapes - Remind the children again that honeycombs are hexagon in shape. A hexagon has six sides. Then, see how good the children are with recognizing that shape. Cut several different shapes out of sandpaper such as a circle, square, rectangle, oval, heart, or to even make it more challenging for the older children, cut octagons and pentagons. Glue each shape to an index card. Have the children close their eyes while you pass a card to each of them. Have them feel the shapes on their cards with their fingers. Did they guess which one was the hexagon? If you don't have sandpaper, you can use fun foam or anything else that has texture or thickness.

6. Tasty math - You will need a box of Honeycomb cereal for this activity and some small paper plates. Write a number. Ask your child to read the number and place that many Honeycomb cereals on the plate. If he gets it correct he gets to eat the cereal. If you have older children write math problems on the plate. Pick problems that have solutions with low numbers such as 7 - 5 =, 28 ÷ 9 =, etc. If your child is studying fractions, you can write 1/4 of 8 =.

1. Decorate the letter "B" - Print out the letter "B" pattern (Large file or small file), cut it out, and have your child decorate it. Here are some suggestions on how to decorate the letter "B":

1. Color it with black and yellow stripes bee pattern.
2. Stick bee stickers on it.
3. Make thumbprint bees.
4. Draw hexagon shapes all over it to make it look like a beehive.
5. Decorate with fingerprint bees.

2. Letter or word recognition - Print out the bee patterns (Large file or small file) and cut them out. Write different letters on the bee's wings. Use upper case and lower case letters. Print out a beehive pattern (Large file or small file) and place all the bees on the beehive in a pile. Draw a picture of a flower and place it on the table. Have your child look at the first bee in the beehive and ask him to say the letter. Tell him if he knows the letter, the bee gets to go to the flower and collect pollen. If he doesn't know the letter, the bee has to stay in the beehive. Place the bees with the letters he doesn't recognize at the bottom of the pile. Keep playing until all the bees get to go to the flower and collect nectar. If you have older children, use their vocabulary words to play this game.

2. Make a Bee Book - Children can write Bible verses, words starting with the letter "B", a short story about a bee, or facts about bees in this cute little bee-shaped book. Go to Craft Pattern Page for directions and patterns for this craft.

Preschool - Third Grade

3. Spelling bees - Print out the picture of the hive and the bees (Large file or small file). Write your child's spelling words or vocabulary words on the bees' wings. If you are playing the spelling game, ask your child to spell each of the words written on the bees. If he spells it correctly, he gets to put the bee in the beehive. If he spells it wrong, put it at the bottom of the piles and go to the next bee. Keep playing until all the bees are in the hive.

4. Spelling Bee match game - Print out the bee patterns (Large file or small file) and write your child's vocabulary words backs of the bees. Make two sets and use to play a match game.

Kindergarten - Third Grade

5. Spelling "e" and "ee" words - Print out the Bee Word Patterns (Large file or small file) and cut them apart. Have your child sort out the "e" and "ee" words. Place all the "e" words in one row and all the "ee" words in another. Point out that there are only five words with a single "e": me, he, we, be, she, and four of them refer to people.

Practice putting the words together to make sentences. Glue the bees onto another sheet of paper to form sentences. Write words next to the bees to complete the sentence. See how many sentences you can come up with which uses at least two bees per sentence. Here are some examples:

1. We see the bee.
2. We flee from the bee.
3. The bee sees me.
4. The bee is on my knee.
5. The bee is in the tree.
6. The bee is on my knee.
7. She sees me.

Songs

“I Have A Choice”
Written by Marie
(Sung to “Itsy Bitsy Spider”)

I have a choice to make on how I live each day,
When I’m at home or school, work or rest or play.
I will choose to live the way; do all that God abides
So I may enter Heaven’s gates and sit right by His side.

“Must Be A Bee”
Written by Marie
(Sung to “Do Your Ears Hang Low”)

Do you buzz all day,
When you eat and drink and play?
Do you wiggle all around,
When there’s things you want to say?
Do you have stripes of black and yellow?
Are you a pollen eatin’ fellow?
Then you must be a bee!

“Five Yellow Striped Bees”
Written by Marie
(Sung to “Five Green and Speckled Frogs”)

Five yellow striped bees
Buzzin’ around the trees
Makin’ some honey in a comb – buzz, buzz
One went into the sky
Flew to it’s hive up high,
Then there were four yellow striped bees.

1. Listen to “Flight of the Bumble Bee”-- another masterpiece. You can probably find a tape or CD at your local library.

2. I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble - Kiddy Song Corner web site has a fun song to learn the Letter "A" sound. (http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Cottage/3192/) You will find this song under the "I, J, K, L" link. You can also find three different versions on Kiddle's web site. (http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b002.html). (http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b035.html), (http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b021.html)

3. The Bee - This lyric and tune for this song can be found at Kiddle's web site. http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b048.html

4. "The Beehive and the Anthill" Finger Play - This lyric and tune for this song can be found at Kiddle's web site. http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b052.html

5. Buzzy Bee - This lyric and tune for this song can be found at Kiddle's web site. http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b063.html

6. Song of the Bee - This lyric and tune for this song can be found at Kiddle's web site. http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/s142.html

7. The Sweetest Thing That Grows - This lyric and tune for this song can be found at Kiddle's web site. http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/s092.html

Copyright © 2004 Carolyn Warvel
Contributing writers: Nancy Foss and Marie
Danielle’s Place of Crafts and Activities
http://www.daniellesplace.com

All rights reserved.   No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information or storage retrieval system, except for local church or school use only.  This copyright notice must be included on all copies. Requests for permission to copy this material for any other uses should be addressed to Carolyn Warvel, 588 Duran Street, Henderson, NV  89015 or e-mail me at care@daniellesplace.com

Comments

We would love to hear your comments about this lesson. If you taught this lesson, we would love to hear how it went, if you changed anything, added anything, what age you taught and was it appropriate.  Any comments that would help others teach this lesson are welcome.