I love when children learn something that’s common knowledge, but to them it’s a brand new fact to share with the world. They’re so enthusiastic.

This post brought to you by the little girl who just told me that “bees get angry if you hit them.”

@dramypsyd Wait what!?

This explains a few things. 🤔

@zalasur Today I realized I have something in common with bees
@dramypsyd @zalasur A lot of adults don't know this. Smashing bees releases a pheromone that also tells other bees you are a threat/bee killer and other bees will sting you until the smell is washed off. Don't smash bees! (Beekeeper here...)
@ai6yr If it could be synthesised then perhaps the synthetic could be released constantly near or in "killer bee" colonies to make them weary of it? @dramypsyd @zalasur
@hotarubiko @dramypsyd @zalasur It has been synthesized, (readily available, too) but it just will cause people to die when those colonies constantly sting people 😬 Many people put perfume made with similar compounds and are surprised when they are stung randomly. (not so random).
@ai6yr I suspect that it would be necessary to isolate the bees to keep people from getting close enough to be attacked. I have no idea of what their attack radius may be though. @dramypsyd @zalasur
@ai6yr @planetscape @dramypsyd @zalasur I've learned as kid that bees are awesome, they don't mean any harm as stinging you will kill them too. Wasps however… 🤬
@dramypsyd Hahaha! When I have been flirting with a tiny toddler recently they informed me a number of times that the person next to them was "Mama". I thought as much. It was delightful.
@dramypsyd when I was that age I learned the hard way that bumblebees don't like to be trapped in a flower. Plus the stinger is pointing out 🐝😬

@dramypsyd

my 10yo was pensive. So I asked them what they were thinking about. It turns out, they learned that on average people would die after not breathing for 2 minutes. "So we only ever have another 2 minutes to live, Mama! Until the next breath, of course."
I'd never thought of it like that, but yeah.
Edit to add: to be clear: they were excited about this thought. They tried to calculate how many breaths a 100yo would have taken.

@dramypsyd Not only do bees get angry when you hit them, they can remember faces.
@dramypsyd the one and only time I got stung by a bee, aged five, it was because I'd tried to clear it up with a toy dustpan and brush. I still avoid housework 😁

@dramypsyd

Or as teens, you teach them words like “sheeple” or “read between the lines” and you hold up your hand with the index, middle, and ring fingers extended.

Good times.

@dramypsyd indeed they do little one, indeed they do.
@dramypsyd From my perspective children bring joy to life. My best jobs were at preschools, even better than working at our Embassy in Moscow.
@dramypsyd
As my husband found out about 10 years ago, ground bees will swarm and attack you if your riding mower drives over their nest while you're cutting the grass. They're aggressive little buggers.
@dramypsyd If only more adults could maintain this sense of excitement/awe to learn new things.
@dramypsyd Never too soon to join the Lucky 10,000! https://xkcd.com/1053/
Ten Thousand

xkcd

@epicdemiologist @dramypsyd

Ooooh I really like that one! 💕

@epicdemiologist @dramypsyd

The fraction who have heard about IT, being 100% at any given age, is surely an exaggeration.

Reference needed.
🤣

@ScribblersEmporium @dramypsyd "Everyone" could be "everyone in my computer science class", I guess.
@dramypsyd I will never forget when my small son excitedly pointed up and exclaimed "Look! The clouds are moving!"
@dramypsyd They also don't like you stepping on them. Sorry, Miss Bee. I didn't see you there, in the clover. Turned out, I am allergic to bee stings.
@Tooden @dramypsyd Bees also get angry if you unknowingly fold them into towels off the clothesline. Ouch! For them and us.
@dramypsyd That's the best thing about kids, how they help you experience things for the first time again.
@dramypsyd @level98 I think deeper understanding of the things we (think we) already understand is a greet foundation.
@dramypsyd I still smile from ear to ear remembering when my friend shared that her little boy SCREAMED in excitement to her when she picked him up from preschool... Mama!!!! DID YOU KNOW THAT CLOUDS MOVE!!!! :)
@dramypsyd I love living in New England and watching them learn about snow and falling leaves every year for the first time. The whole world is magic to them at those times.
@dramypsyd Wait 'til they learn about wasps...
@dramypsyd response: do they? I’ve been punching bees for 27 years
@dramypsyd One of my few memories of elementary school is from when I zoned out during Dick & Jane reading time, looking at a haystack illustration in my book and the one in my neighbor's book. Right down to the pixels/colored spots on the page. I was yanked out of my reverie by teacher ("Frank! It's your turn!) and I blurted out, "They're the same!" Teacher wasn't in my head-space, and I'm afraid she wasn't impressed by my discovery of printing technology ("Of course they're the same!").
@dramypsyd A piece of family lore from when our granddaughter was 3 and had many new scratches: “sometimes kitty no wan’ go in cupboard”