Somewhere around the age of nine, children go through a quiet but significant change, which in Waldorf education is often called the “nine-year change” or “crossing the Rubicon”. The child who until now has lived comfortably inside a dreamlike, magical relationship with the world begins to experience themselves as separate from it. With that new sense of individuality comes a fresh curiosity about how things work and why things happen, alongside questions about authority, fairness and their own place in things. It can be an exciting time and, at moments, an unsettling one, as feelings run stronger and certainties that were once taken for granted are examined for the first time.

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The Honey Bees curriculum is shaped to meet children at exactly this point in their journey. Stories of gods and heroes who struggle and make mistakes, practical skills that build real competence and independence, and lessons that ask children to observe the natural world carefully rather than simply admire it all help them find their feet during this transition. They also lay the groundwork for the larger changes of adolescence that lie ahead.

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Honey Bees Main Lessons​

Ancient Egypt - Stories from one of the world’s oldest civilisations. The children learn to decipher hieroglyphics, discover how and why mummies were made, and marvel at the construction of the great pyramids at Giza.

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Norse Myths - The great stories of the Scandinavian gods, from Odin and Thor to the trickster Loki, whose quarrels, bravery and mistakes speak directly to children who are beginning to see that the grown-up world is not as simple as it once appeared. Alongside the stories, the children learn to draw the intricate interlaced knotwork found in Norse and Celtic art, which builds patience, concentration and a steady hand.

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Introduction to Geometry - A maths block in which the children learn to use a compass to construct circles and shapes accurately, discover how a circle can be measured, and calculate the perimeters of different shapes. This way geometry becomes something they make with their own hands before it is something they work out on paper.

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Smugglers - Our local geography main lesson explores the Sussex coastline through the stories of the smugglers who once worked along it. It includes a class trip to the Smugglers Adventure in St Clements Caves in Hastings, where the history of the trade comes vividly to life in the tunnels and caverns beneath the West Hill.

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Botany - An introduction to the life of plants. The children learn how plants make their own food through photosynthesis, grow plants of their own, and develop the habit of careful observation by drawing and labelling detailed diagrams of what they see.

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The Life Cycle of the Honey Bee - In the spring, fittingly for a class that carries their name, the Honey Bees study the life of the honey bee from egg to forager and the remarkable way a colony works together.

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Class Play - An end-of-year play performed to the whole Beehub community. The children also design and build the scenery and make the props themselves, so every child has a part to play both on stage and behind it.

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Beyond the Main Lesson

Each morning begins with singing, movement and recitation, followed by ten minutes of morning maths to wake up our brains before we move on to the main lesson of the day. Maths is also supported every week through a board game session, where strategy, number work and a healthy amount of friendly competition sit happily together.

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Our year is punctuated by seasonal festivals, which are a much-loved part of life at Beehub, and the Honey Bees mark them with some simple baking, such as scones and fruity energy balls. The baking is also part of a maths block on measurement, so weighing, measuring and following a recipe become a practical (and delicious) way of putting numbers to work.

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Each week the class has either a painting or a form drawing lesson, and our handwork teachers bring their creative skills to weekly handwork sessions. The Honey Bees also have Music and Science with Dr Tom, which have always been firm favourites with the children.

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Why Choose the Honey Bees Class?

The Honey Bees is a warm, close-knit class where children make lasting friendships and grow in confidence. They are part of a wider Beehub community of families who come together for festivals and shared celebrations throughout the year. Learning reaches beyond the classroom through trips, performances and hands-on projects. Because Beehub is phone-free for the children, the day is spent making, talking, playing and discovering together rather than looking at screens.

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Beehub is Ofsted-registered and designed around the needs of home-educating families. Children get the structure, friendships and rich curriculum of a class setting, and families remain free to shape the rest of their child’s education at home.