When I was a child I loved insects. Beetles, butterflies, millipedes and pond skaters. But my favourite were bees.

Your child might already be aware of the importance of bees in pollinating crops, or simply have seen them buzzing around the garden. But they might not know just how interesting bees can be. This week’s worth of activities will help them learn more. 

• Drawing a bee. This activity forms the first page of their workbook. Younger children can treat this as a drawing exercise; for older children, this should be more scientific, labelling the different parts of the bee’s anatomy. 

• Learning about beehives. Younger children can use straws, and older children matchsticks, to construct the hexagon structure of beehives. How many straws or matchsticks does it take to make each hexagon? Older children should consider how this would differ with a different shape, including which shapes tessellate and which don’t. 

• The life cycle of a bee. For younger children, this is a great opportunity to flex their acting skills and buzz! Record their performance of the life cycle of a worker, drone or queen bee. 

• Research on bee populations. It’s widely known that bee populations are dwindling, but why? This makes a fascinating research project for older children. They can present their findings to you as a presentation, which you can record for their digital workbook. 

• Plant bee-friendly flowers. For younger children, this lets them complete a hands-on practical task away from a screen. Older children can take more of a leadership role, researching which seeds to buy, and how other inhabitants of the garden (such as birds or pets) might respond to the flowers. 

• Write a letter to save the bees. If your older child is fired up by a desire to save the bees, get them to put it into action. They can write a persuasive letter to your local MP, suggesting what could be done to help bees in your local area. Once it’s written, why not send it by post or email, as a chance for your child to learn more about politics and government? 

• Certificate of completion. Once your child has done all of their bee-themed activities and finished their workbook, issue them with a certificate of completion to celebrate their new-found knowledge.