My Grade 3 Speech

One of the highlights of my day is “ride time” - those moments when Sharon and I are en-route to or from her school.  Being a one car family, we use the morning and afternoon drives to get caught up on each other’s day.  As an elementary teacher, Sharon usually has a story or two of kiddy-cuteness.  There is always something happening to test whether or not I’m smarter than a Grade Three student.  

Last week, it was Spelling Bee week.  I was intrigued to know what one of the harder words was.  “Sieve.”   I spelled it correctly.  This week, the class is beginning a unit on writing speeches.  When I heard that, my ears perked up.  “I can do that,” I said.  “What are the parameters for the speeches?”

Apparently, they have to be 3-5 minutes in length (OK, I’m going to struggle with that limitation) and have to be about an animal.  What animal would I write a speech on?  I thought for just a moment and asked, “Do bees qualify as an animal?”  Teacher Sharon said she would be willing to make a special accommodation for me;  yes, I could write a speech on bees.  She also said that given my life experience, I should be able to produce a speech in 30 to 60 minutes.

Challenge accepted.  Here is my attempt to write a Grade Three speech on bees in one hour or less.  Feel free to grade it and send me a mark.  How well did I do?
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Bees are amongst the most wondrous of God’s creatures.  They provide benefits to all that God has created.  The sound they make, the pollen they distribute, and the honey they produce all help other things in God’s creation to live healthily.  If we can overwhelm our fear of being stung, we can celebrate and learn from the lives of the busy, busy bees.

First, bees provide benefits to God’s creation just by buzzing around.  We all know that bees love to buzz.  That humming sound they make is pleasant to listen to.  It tells us they are hard at work.  When the bees are all together in their home called a hive, the buzzing sound can be very loud.  Did you know that scientists have discovered that this sound is helpful for people who feel nervous and worried?  The buzzing sound of bees can help us relax and feel better.

Second, bees help other plants produce food by spreading pollen.  All plants need pollen from other plants.  When a bee visits a flower to swallow some of its nectar, small dusty particles called “pollen” will stick to it.  If you look closely at a bee flying in the flowers, you will see little bags of pollen attached to its legs.  As the bee flies from flower to flower, this pollen is shared between the flowers.  If the plant is one that produces food we eat like apples or tomatoes, then this is how that plant gets ready to change its flower into a fruit.  Isn’t that amazing?

Third, when the bees get back to their hive, they share the nectar they drank from the flowers they visited.  As the bees give this nectar to one another it slowly transforms into honey.  The bees store the honey in little packages in their hive and cover it over with wax.  Once the bees have made a lot of honey, a beekeeper can go inside the hive and take the honey out.  It is a sticky but yummy job!  But who doesn’t love the sweetness of honey?  Honey is also very good for helping us keep our bodies healthy.

Even though bees might be scary because we know they can sting us, they do a lot of good in helping care for God’s creation.  They make sounds that can make us feel happier, they share pollen so other plants can produce fruits and vegetables, and of course, we can eat their wonderful honey.  Bees are a sweet gift from God to all of us that remind us of His love and goodness.
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There you have it.  An introduction of three points, three points explained, and a summary of three points.  What do you think?  If you want more detail on what bees do, feel free to carve out a couple of hours in your calendar and enjoy a coffee with me . . . It seems like every week I learn something else amazing about these little critters.

It may be at a Grade Three level, but the wonders of God’s created order humble us at every age.  As the psalmist said, “What is man that you would take notice of him?” (Psa. 8:4)  The answer is simple:  we are His image-bearers, the pinnacle of His creative work, and the objects of His immeasurable love and grace.  The beauty and complexity of the world of the bee is nothing compared to the work of His grace in each of our lives.  Sometimes His work may sting but in the end it produces a transformation that is as sweet as honey.