Discuss with the children the times of year that they have seen or noticed bees. What do the bees look like? What sounds do they make? To find out some more about bees and even why they sting – this clip might help - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6BFRcp2dFs

Recap on the story of ‘Bumblebear’. Parents may want to read the story again with the children or invite the children to tell them the story, using their Bumblebear or Bumblebee puppets from last week’s activities. Dragon (107) Monster (23) Fantasy (68) Elf (22) Ghost (2) Gnome (8) Snowman (13) Unicorn (16) OtherMakeBelieve (28) Alligator (3) Chameleon (2) Dinosaur (6) Frog (36) Lizard (5) Snake (1) Turtle (8) OtherReptiles (1) The children might enjoy sitting down to watch the story of ‘The Lost Bee’ while they have their Bumblebear biscuits - https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/melody-the-lost-bee If you are looking for a fun homework activity, invite the children to become bees? Let them explore the sound and movement of bees and maybe even create their own bumblebee dance. To help – play the music of Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X14kC-sEH0I or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZO5KTJTwhE&list=RDxZO5KTJTwhE&start_radio=1

The claim that the B. in Olivier B. Bommel would stand for Berendinus is semi-canonical at best. A middle name is not found in any of the original stories and —according to the author— did not exist. Bommel was intended to be an American, though it is possible that he did indeed return to ancestral grounds. The lone initial was part of the American attributes of the character. The source of Berendinus was the answer by an editor in the Tom Poes magazine, and thus one given with a semblance of authority, which explains the popularity of the claim. He is a kind soul but he tends to act before he thinks. [2] His compassion and sense of justice can sometimes move him to do great things, [4] although it's usually others, most often Joost and Tom Puss, who do the actual work. He also tends to blame others for his own mistakes and rarely gives Tom Puss the credit he deserves for getting him out of trouble. As he has a "delicate constitution", [5] he has no heart for conflict, but in the end he will always help his friends in need. For nursery children, have fun with a bee counting song for numbers to ten - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWUgZm_AE64

Puffin is an imprint of Penguin Random House, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. Through our world of stories, Puffin aims to open up the world to every child. Our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life. Puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. As the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the UK today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old. Perhaps the children would like to make their own Bumblebear or Bumblebee puppets – using paper - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQnjTI-lZSM or https://www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/time-to-read/2017/paper-plate-bumblebees.pdf Or pompoms - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBDlsbP1qpw Or even wooden spoons - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL1fsqa52-k Introduce the story, ‘The Bumblebear’ by Nadia Shireen or listen to it being read here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6ZaSM6sNGw or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tvXFif3M1o The children might enjoy helping the bees to collect the pollen from the flowers in the following interactive game - https://www.bbc.co.uk/games/embed/g758zk3wbh?exitGameUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fcbeebies%2Fgames%2Fmargarets-marigolds-game

Related to this is the play in the original series with the meanings of the Dutch word heer, which does mean gentleman, though it does not mean member of the nobility, which Bumble as American would not be. He is very rich and tries to live like a gentleman. Another meaning is lord, as in (absolute) ruler; as owner of his castle, he turns out to have been the lord of the land for almost the entire series in the last story. "Sir" rather obscures this essential part of the character as it rather suggests some noble title under lordship. An acceptable translation might be Oliver B Bumble, Lord of the manor. For P1 children – they may want to explore some common 2D shapes. This resource may be helpful - https://firstlook.educationcity.com/content/index/35569 What shape makes up a honeycomb? Can they make a bee picture using the shapes they have learned about? Character [ edit ] Sir Oliver and Tom Puss with the Oude Schicht [ nl] in Amsterdam, October 4, 1949 For P1 (and older siblings) – talk about what they missed about school when they are not present and what they most look forward to when they return. Maybe they could create a message for the new P1 children –‘The best thing about Primary 1 is ….’ and draw a picture.