photo from flicr: uncjohn CC-BY-NC 2.0 This photo has been cropped.
Energetic. Curious. Excited. Teaching children about bees is an unforgettable experience and one where the person doing the teaching doesn’t need be an expert.
Some resource links for teaching young people:
(in no particular order)
Bianca’s Education Corner: Pollinator Education for Kids
Beekeeping Like A Girl – blog post “How To Teach Kids about Bees”
Avas Flowers – blog post “Teaching Kids About the Importance of Honeybees”
National Geographic for Kids - Website – “10 Facts about Honey bees”
National Honey Board – Website – “How Honey is Made
SCRIBD – Website – “Boy Scout Beekeeping Merit Badge Pamphlet”
Bay Nature Magazine Article – “What’s the Buzz? Native Bees!”
Xerces Society – Website – “Fact Sheets”
Planet Bee Foundation - Teacher Resources
National Park Service – PDF – “Biodiversity - Bee Week”
National Geographic Kids - Honeybee Facts
UNH Extension – PDF – “4H Beekeeping Manual”
Angie’s List - Website - “Creating a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard”
Books
There are many picture books about bees that can be excellent introductions for children. The books we like are listed here:
Bees (A Honeyed History) by Piotr Socha
Beekeeping with Children and School Groups by Undine Westphal (link is to Northern Bee Books in the UK)
Bees in the Curriculum by the BBKA (link is to the BBKA in the UK)
Honeybee - The Busy Life of Apis mellifera by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann {Maine’s Agriculture in the Classroom picked this book in 2023}