King Solomon and the Bee

Proposed Family Activities:

• שְׁמִירָה
• Share
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• You may enjoy looking at the illustrations together. The bee appears on every page (sometimes it is hidden). You could try to follow it, and tell the story from her perspective. Can you identify the various gifts that the Queen of Sheba brings King Solomon? What kinds of gifts can one bring a king? Does he need them?

• You may want to look for the illustration in which King Solomon lets the bee go. Perhaps you could ask your child: Why is he laughing? Does he truly believe a small bee could ever help him?

• You could pretend to be bees yourselves. Let your child be the bee, and pretend to be its fellow bee. Fly together and buzz to one another – your child will tell you all about the bee’s encounter with the king, and you can react to the story.

• “Wise is he who learns from all men”: you may want to ask your child what makes one wise, what wisdom is, and what King Solomon learned from the little bee. Perhaps you could tell your child something they did not know, and ask them to enlighten you with their knowledge!

• Perhaps you could discuss the skills and contributions made by each member of your family. Together, try to remember times when your child was particularly helpful. Even the youngest members have their “hour”, in which they help and contribute to the greater good.

• The Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem to ask King Solomon riddles and test his wisdom. Do you know any riddles? You can put them to your child, or invent some new ones together.

• This story is based on a tale about King Solomon, “the wisest man who ever lived”. Do you know any other stories about King Solomon? Perhaps you could share them with your child.