Honey bees make learning sweet for San Carlos first graders
Last week I had the great pleasure of being invited to help teach a few classes of 1st graders all about bees!
My friend, Karen Gallion-Biggers (above right), is a volunteer teacher with the BUGS (Better Understanding Garden Science) program at Brittan Acres Elementary School in San Carlos, CA. The BUGS program mission is: To better understand nature, the relationships necessary for the growth of the plants and where plants fit into the cycle of life. This month’s session is BEES!
I came to the school all dressed in my suit and veil, much to the children’s delight. I brought with me a drone frame, super frame, and brood frame to show the different sizes. I also brought along a jar of Sunset honey, a piece of comb from the hive, a piece of our melted and filtered wax, and a tube of my lip balm. The children (and teachers!) got a kick out of seeing all the different products the bees can bring us.
Karen asked me a series of questions covering the basics of beekeeping; we passed around a few show-and-tell items and generally just had good fun interacting with the inquisitive 1st graders.
I’m glad I was able to do my part to spread the word about the importance of bees.
By Kimberley Burch, Sunset imaging specialist
Kimberley,
That was so nice of you to do that! I’ve been involved in the BUGS program, starting my 4th year now – it’s a blast. It’s people like you who take time out of their schedules to share their knowledge with our children that makes this program so successful, and FUN. My 3rd grade daughters are worried about the decreasing bee population. No joke, every day we find dead or dying bees in our yard. Perhaps there is a hive somewhere in the neighborhood. This has been going on for a long time. It reinforces the fact that we cannot survive without these amazing creatures. Any ideas on what we should do? If so, please email me at todd@apr.com
Thank you again!