Karen:
 
re: your presentation to children on beekeeping.
 
I endorse Guy's comments on taking along a foundation, drawn and a sealed
honey frame to explain the process.  This is very effective when I show
visitors our honey shed.
 
For tasting, a squeeze pack as Guy uses is also the way to drive the message
home that honey is good to eat.  However I recommend wooden stirring sticks
such as ice-block sticks for tasting rather than fingers.  I buy packs of
1000 sticks from food wholesalers (try catering suppliers) and take these to
public tastings with a honey pail for the used sticks (cut hole in centre of
lid so there is no confusion between used and new sticks).
 
When doing public tastings I take 5 different honey types in squeeze packs
together with nectar source descriptions and some leaves and gum nuts from
the eucalyptus species.  It is more difficult to provide specimens from
ground flora.  It is my intention (New Year's resolution!) to press flowers
of canola, clover, cape-weed which are the main spring nectar sources here,
place on white cardboard and cover with clear Contact which is the
recommended procedure for floral specimens.  Perhaps you could suggest this
to the children as a class project?  Locate the nectar sources for their own
area and prepare specimens?
 
Some beeswax melted from cappings is also impressive to non-beekeepers.
Tell them to smell the honey in the wax!  This can be made into moulds for
sharing around the class for "touch and smell".
 
The real interest gripper is of course an observation hive but this is
difficult to transport and safety is all important.  I have used a one-frame
sealed glass case where the frame the queen is on is placed in the
observation hive the morning of the demonstration and returned to the hive
that night.  In hot weather a damp cloth on top of the frame will provide
moisture. A marked queen makes "see the queen" enjoyable although many
people are intrigued to discover queens are apparently born with coloured spots!
 
One beekeeper in South Australia does presentation with fruit that requires
pollination, and has examples of poorly pollinated and well pollinated fruit
for comparison.  You would probably need to prepare a photograph display for
this.
 
I stress that bees will sting in defence of their hives or their lives, to
reassure those who are frightened to walk in the garden because of the bees
on the flowers.
 
I would be interested to hear feed-back from your demonstrations in due course.
 
Betty McAdam
HOG BAY APIARY
Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island
J.H. & E. McAdam<[log in to unmask]
http://kigateway.eastend.com.au/hogbay/hogbay1.htm