Live · Hive Keeper quest
A hive of 50,000 bees works because everyone lives by a few simple rules. Here are five of them, what they mean for us, and a family activity for each. Accept all five to become a Hive Keeper.
Agreement 1
Say what you mean, and say it kindly.
When a forager dances, the whole hive trusts her directions. If she buzzed the wrong way, everyone would get lost. Bees run on honest signals.
Words are powerful. Honest, kind words help people find their way, just like a true dance helps bees find flowers.
Dinner-table dance: each person shares one true, kind thing about someone else at the table.
Agreement 2
What others do isn't about you.
A bee on a clover doesn't get upset that another bee chose the sunflower. Every bee follows her own path to the flowers she needs.
When someone is grumpy or unkind, it's often about their own day, not about you. You don't have to carry their sting.
Name it to tame it: when someone's mean, say "That's their flower, not mine" and take three slow bee breaths.
Agreement 3
Don't guess. Ask.
Scouts don't guess where a new home should be. They go look, come back and share, until the swarm agrees together.
Guessing what someone thinks causes mix-ups. Asking a kind question clears the air.
Question jar: write 5 questions about each other's day, pull one out at bedtime.
Agreement 4
Your best changes day to day, and that's okay.
On rainy days bees stay in and fix the comb. On sunny days they fly far. They do what the day allows.
Some days your best is big, some days it's small. Doing your best, whatever that is today, is always enough.
Best-of-today chart: each night, draw one thing you did your best at. Big or small both count.
Agreement 5
Take care of the world that takes care of you.
When a bee visits a flower, she takes nectar and leaves pollen, which helps the plant make seeds. Both are better off.
Give back to the people, places and planet that help you. Plant something, clean something, share something.
Family planting day: plant one bee flower together and give it a name.
Five simple life lessons ENERBEE learned from how honey bees live together: Buzz true, Every bee has its own flower, Ask the hive, Fly your best today, and Leave every flower better.
They're written for kids around 4 to 12 to read with a grown-up, and the family activities work for all ages.