In message <[log in to unmask]>, J.
Waggle <[log in to unmask]> writes
>I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on what could be
>added to my honeybee presentations to help make them
>more interesting and unique.
It is so different for different ages. Pre-school is like story telling,
and they love to make a small candle - good for their "making" skills,
but some need lots of praise and help. Older children like a
demonstration hive if at all possible and can look at bees in more
detail with a hand lens or low power microscope (dead worker bees, dead
or live drones, bumble bees and solitary bees. How many eyes can you
find??!! "What do you see?" is the best question. I remember handing out
comb to a mixed group of families. Given a piece of comb, to that
question, one child said he saw shapes with straight sides - how many
sides - five. His mother said "no, they have 6". I said, show me. Indeed
he pointed to a five-sided cell. Simple lessons with real bees, comb,
honey and wax can expand their observation skills and dexterity, as well
as enlarging their understanding and interest in life. A piece of
honeycomb to taste is excellent for all ages.

They can be asked to look out for bees and make notes on what they
looked like, what flowers they visited, where they lived (if nests can
be found). They can also be encouraged to put out artificial nests in
the school grounds.

We had small black solitary bees in the walls of our local primary
school - it was vital to get them to realise they were harmless, or they
stamped on them as they crawled on the ground. I got my daughter to
carry just hatched bees on her hand to show how safe they were. The
nearby bush had mating clouds of bees which only I had noticed,
characteristic of this species. There was also a leaf-cutter bee making
a nest in a vertical hole in a hand rail post, which children did notice
and commented on. Alas, one 9 year old poked a pencil into it. There are
opportunities for detective work, observation and conservation and to
learn to respect all forms of life and especially difference! even in
school grounds.

PS Racism comes from fear of difference - hence the !

Have fun
--
James Kilty

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