May
31
2016

How to Raise Bee-Friendly Kids in a Bee-Friendly Environment

Plus, 3 fun printables to get you started

How to Raise Bee-Friendly Kids in a Bee-Friendly Environment

How to Raise Bee-Friendly Kids in a Bee-Friendly Environment

This scene is a common one for parents...you're outside enjoying a beautiful day playing in the sun with your kids when a you hear a blood-curdling scream. The culprit? A bee has flown too close to the action, scaring your little one. Sound familiar? Many kids have some level of apprehension around bees and other insects, but they play such an important role in our lives. Consider this: a whopping 33% of our food is made possible by bee pollination. No bees means saying goodbye to many of your favourite fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even your coffee. You have bees to thank for that morning pick-me-up after the kids have been up all night! Happy Bees = Happy Mama. 

With the bee population unstable across North America, involving our families to improve the situation has never been more important. So how can you help your bee-shy munchkins to be more comfortable around their flying neighbours? Try these tips to ease them into the idea:

1. Educate them about bees

Knowledge is power, so arm your kids! Show them how to identify the different kinds of bees, and they'll be able to determine which ones - like bumblebees - are very docile, and which ones are more aggressive. Teach them that many bees can't sting at all (males and solitary bees do not sting), and those who can sting, will only do so if afraid or provoked.

2. Help them to understand why bees are so important

Play a game with your children by having them draw all their favourite fruits and vegetables, or go for a walk through your neighbourhood and take pictures of their favourite flowers. Then talk with them about which ones wouldn't grow without the help of the bees. How would their lives (and appetites) be affected if there weren't any bees? Take a look in your fridge and imagine how empty it would be if you took out all of the foods that bees play a part in. 

3. Get them comfortable around other insects

Start small by helping them to not panic the next time an ant crawls on their foot or a fly lands on their shoulder. Some kids are freaked out by any type on insect so this is a good place to start. Don't forget that kids look to adults for behaviour cues, so show them that you're comfortable too!

4. Plant wildflowers

Wildflowers are an essential part of a bee's natural habitat, and spring is the best time to plant them. Honey Nut Cheerios recently distributed 115 million wildflower seeds to families across Canada through their Bring Back the Bees program to help in creating bee-friendly environments! You can also stop by your nearest garden centre to pick up seeds or plants. Get your kids to help you choose a sunny spot, turn over the ground (clearing any weeds) and sprinkle the seeds! Give the ground a little pat to compress, but don't bury the seeds. Easy-peasy!

5. Visit a local apiary

A quick Google search will show you where you can go to see bees in action. Hearing an expert talk about how bees work and their importance in our environment, plus seeing them work up close and personally may have a bigger impact on your child. 

6. Have fun with bees

There are so many fun bee-themed games and activities you can do with your child. Have a picnic outside and only serve foods that bees pollinate or whip up some bee-topped cupcakes! Create bee puppets out of paper bags, socks or construction paper and Popsicle sticks and put on a play about bees. I've included some bee activity printables here to get you started! 

  #BringBackTheBees Bingo

  #BringBackTheBees Scavenger Hunt

  #BringBackTheBees Word Search

Some environmental challenges can seem overwhelming, but this one doesn't have to be. The simple act of planting wildflowers and helping your children to be more comfortable around bees is a big contribution to growing and maintaining healthy bee populations. So get everyone involved in working together and having fun while learning the value of environmental stewardship and the importance of bees to human health.

May
24
2016

5 Ways I’d Parent Differently If No One Was Watching

Oh, the freedom

5 Ways I’d Parent Differently If No One Was Watching

Parent Like No One is Watching | YummyMummyClub.ca

There’s been a lot of buzz these days about some of the choices parents make, and those who judge them. Whether we like it or not, the decisions we make for our children — from the seemingly mundane to the more serious — can face considerable scrutiny, and I know I think twice about many choices I make based on the potential audience. Here are 5 examples of ways I would parent differently if no one was watching:

Clothes

My seven year-old has approximately two favourite outfits that she would wear in week-long rotations if I let her. In the grand scheme of things, I couldn’t care less what she wears as long as it’s weather appropriate, but in the interest of her not looking terribly neglected and/or destitute, it’s one outfit for one day only.

Food

Parents have really upped their lunch game these days! Naturally, it is important to me to provide healthy food for my kids, and I have no problem doing that. But there have been a few occasions, when I had a newborn or was particularly under the weather that I would have sent my oldest to school with a less than standard lunch had I not been worried about suffering the “lunch shame.”

Homework

For my active kid, sitting most of the day at school is painful for her. The last thing I want to do is bring her home and make her sit for another 30+ minutes to do her reading and spelling every night, plus the random projects she has to occasionally do. If we didn’t have to log the homework every time we do it, I’d likely let it slip more often than not.

Nudity

My kids liked to be naked right from Day One. No matter what the environment, whether just hanging out at home, playing in the backyard or at a friends house, if clothing is optional, it is off. I’m not so strict when no one is around, but societal norms dictate that unless you’re in a nudist colony, some level of clothing is appropriate in all situations, especially when guests are present!

Supervision

I tend to lean more to the free range style of parenting, and have received more than my fair share of judgemental gazes right from the get-go. I’m perfectly happy to let my 3 year-old go and play in the (fenced in) wooded area of the playground with her big sister and their friends, out of my sight. If I wasn’t worried about the concern of other parents, I’d probably let my older daughter go to the park a block away with some of her older friends, without me being present.

Perhaps I care too much what other people think, but it seems to me that we’re hearing more and more stories of parents turning other parents in for the littlest things. It takes a village to raise a child, but let’s make it a village that comes together and supports one another, not judges each other and tears them down.

 RELATED: Are You a Free Range "Chicken"?