Unique opportunity to teach kids about bees

[BeeWonderful]

Hi everyone,

My child's first grade teacher has invited me to come and talk to their class about bees when they do their unit on plants, in a couple of weeks. I love bees (the teacher knows this , & have read lots of books about native bees & their conservation, but I wanted to throw this question out there so that I can be sure not to miss any especially good points:

In your mind, what are the few most important things you think children need to know about bees, especially native bees?

I would love to foster a love for bees in these little kids. So many children are scared of bees. Bumblebees are such gentle creatures, if I can encourage these kids to see bumblebees as wonderful and important (necessary!) then I will feel I have succeeded.

Please give me any and all of your thoughts! thanks so much!!!

[NEWisc]

Insect pollination is important and native bees do most of that pollination. You could ask the kids what their favorite foods are and make a list of them. Then go down the list and cross out all the things that would not be available without bees (most fruits, chocolate, etc.).

You could also ask them what they think native bees need. They need places to nest and pollen and nectar.

The best sources of pollen and nectar are native plants, and they could help the native bees by planting some. They need lots of different plants for the spring, summer and fall.
The important life of bees - Press Publications/Kanabec.com: News

Things that harm native bees - pesticides and loss of habitat.
.

[Equilibrium]

Ohhhh.... those were fun times for me when our kids were little.... way cool you were asked!!!
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A long time ago I did a little bumble theme for Cub Scouts.... I was the den leader.... I think I had more fun than they did!!! I can't remember exactly how old they were when the bees came up but they couldn't have been more than 7 or 8. I remember using a tape of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.... I still have the tape if you need it. I started by playing the beginning of it and asked them to raise their hands when they heard busy bumble bees buzzing from plant to plant to plant. That was interesting.... they caught it almost simultaneously and all their hands shot up. I remember talking about bumbles being social bees that lived in families like we do.... the simpler I kept it when they were younger.... the better off we all were. I used 4 common native plants in pots labeled "Healthy Food" and 4 non-native (silk) plants in pots labeled "Junk Food" and mentioned that just like people.... bumbles need healthy food so they can grow up big and strong so they can do the very important work of helping our flowers make more flowers. I'm sure I went into a little more "age appropriate" detail but the big hit was when they made antennae from pipe cleaners wrapped around girls' headbands then stuck little styrofoam balls on the ends of their pipe cleaners. When they finished I started playing the tape 'Flight of the Bumble Bees' and told them to get busy buzzing. They all bee-lined it to the "Healthy Food" and buzzed from plant to plant. I remember laughing because they were so darn cute but don't remember much more than the basics of the music I played, the potted "food", and the craft we did.... it was too long ago. I don't have a tape of 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' but here's what it sounds like from YouTube, Flight of the Bumblebee - YouTube. You could probably pick it up from the library if it sounds like something the kids might like.
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There's a boatload of material available online you could look at for ideas that'll probably be more creative than what I came up with or maybe private message bridget1964 because I KNOW she could come up with better ideas for you. I never went over that bumbles were non-aggressive because.... we met at our house and they were always running around outside like animals and already knew our bumbles were waaaay too busy doing important work to bother them.
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I'd really like to know how you're gonna deal with that since you'll be inside and you're gonna have a room full of kids where better than half of them have probably never seen bumbles busy at work with their own 2 eyes. Please lemme know what you come up with if you get a chance so I can file it away in the back of my brain for future use.

[BeeWonderful]

Tomorrow morning is my scheduled date for talking about bees...I'll let you all know how it goes!

[Equilibrium]

Ohhhhhh.... big time fun for you tomorrow!!! Taaaaaaaaaake some photos of your projects if you get a chance!!!!

[suunto]

It may be too late to help this time, but see "Pollinators Putting Food on the Table"

Pollinators Putting Food on the Table | Entomological Society of America (ESA) and Bee Detective - Discover the Culprit Behind Declining Bee Populations | Nature Works Everywhere

[BeeWonderful]

Originally Posted by suunto

It may be too late to help this time, but see "Pollinators Putting Food on the Table"

Pollinators Putting Food on the Table | Entomological Society of America (ESA) and Bee Detective - Discover the Culprit Behind Declining Bee Populations | Nature Works Everywhere

Thanks for the links! The lesson plan there is excellent, although I think it might be for children a bit older than these little ones. But it was good to look through now to reinforce some of the things I'd like to convey to them. If I am able to bring even one child to a greater understanding and interest in bees, I will think I have succeeded.

[GonativeAlex]

You could tell them that Honeybees are expected to die out by the year 2040 due to a parasitic mite , are not native to North America, and that most bees don't actually make honey we use, they live underground or in dead logs and are useful to the plants we need. You could say not all bees sting a few bite very hard in the tropics. You could say that pollinators are declining rapidly and that we should plant native wildflowers in our yards.

You could say that a man made race of killer hybrid bees is moving fast towards the US and in fact are in the us!!! ( BE SURE TO SAY NOT NORTH! BUT SOUTH) and unlike normal honeybees will swarm upon a victim and sting until they are dead. Can stay above water for up to 2 hours while waiting for a victim to surfice. Say man shouldn't toy with nature.

The teacher might wonder what drugs your taking (joking) but all in all this should be stated,

[Equilibrium]

Hiya BeeW> How did it go>>>>? Didja have as much fun as the kids? I bet you did!!!

[GonativeAlex]

Did any of them, cower in fear when you/if you mentioned killer bees.



BTW thanks for putting up with my off the wall statements. couldn't help myself. Hopefully they'll like bees more.