Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders  (Read 2711 times)

Offline WhipCityBeeMan

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 148
  • Gender: Male
Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« on: December 30, 2008, 02:30:52 pm »
I am giving a seminar for 7-8 graders in January.  I have 1 hour and about 10-20 kids per class.  My focus is supposed to be problems bees are facing but I also want to give an introduction on the importance of bees, the working of a colony and a hive. 

I am looking for suggestions from any of you who have done this sort of thing before.  I want to be sure I dont  bore the kids.

I am planning on having the following:

Honey for eating
Varroa mite(s) under a microscope
A hive set up so students can see what they are like (no bees of course) 
Honey bee in a case for examination (dead bee) 


Any other ideas???
Sola Scripture - Sola Fide - Sola Gracia - Solus Christus - Soli Deo Gloria

Online Kathyp

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 20363
  • Gender: Female
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2008, 03:36:30 pm »
what a great opportunity. 

how about an identification contest to see if kids can tell the difference between honey bees and other bees/wasps.

examples of local crops that are helped by honey bees
plants that attract honey bees
how honey gets to from the hive to the table

try not to send the kids home screaming at their parents about every spray that they use in the garden, but you'll have to touch on insecticides as problems.  maybe give them ideas to take home about spray times and types....

try to anticipate questions about cell towers, GM crops, etc. 

private school??
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline WhipCityBeeMan

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 148
  • Gender: Male
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2008, 05:05:43 pm »
thanks for the input.  I know others out there have more input and I welcome it. 

It is not a private school.   I am a horticulture teacher as a vocational technical high school and we put on a workshop day for students to see what vocational education is about. 
Sola Scripture - Sola Fide - Sola Gracia - Solus Christus - Soli Deo Gloria

Offline Natalie

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1478
  • Gender: Female
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2008, 06:05:10 pm »
Hi there, just curious what town you(the school) are in. So what town are you in? :-D

Offline Natalie

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1478
  • Gender: Female
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2008, 06:10:33 pm »
Is it possible for you to bring in a frame of honey? A nice big filled comb full of honey would be cool for them to check out and you could let them sample it.
If you could do a little crush and strain demo it would be cool for them to help with.
You know how kids like hands on activities.
I have seen those big picture cards they sell at the supply companies, they have a learning hive to go with it.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2008, 06:27:06 pm »
I bought a box (about 400) of popsicle sticks to use as taster sticks for the honey.  Each stick gives a small dose of honey to an individual so it takes care of health issues.  I then use the sticks for starter strips for foundationless frames.
I made a model of a skep using 3/8 inch sisal rope with removalable top (see craft section).
I take along a large poster of a year in beekeeping and 12 smaller posters about the workings inside the hive (Bushy Mountain).
I take a 5 frame nuc with solid bottom board, and frames in various stages of development.
Wearing the beesuit and have veil and tools (frame tool, smoker, etc) on display helps also.

Most schools won't allow live bees into the class room (legal issues) so I plan on making a clear plastic block with the various bees and stages of development imbedded in it for display also.

I can talk to any group from 5-99 from 15 minutes to 2 hours depending on attention span or time alloted.

I'm also getting a 4 medium frame OB hive for those times I can take bees into a lecture site and for my own continuing education.

Young kids like the idea of eating bee vomit, older tweens, teens, and adults not so much.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline jsmob

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 116
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2008, 09:32:39 pm »
Brushy Mountain dose have training hive ( www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/prodinfo.asp?number=291 ), but right now it is saying "not in stock". But they might be able to hook you up with one.

Quote
Most schools won't allow live bees into the class room (legal issues)
I have not had this problem. Last year I took a two frame observation hive with me to 10 differrent class rooms, and they where 1st thru 5th grade classes. The teachers were ecstatic about us bring them to class.

Offline hankdog1

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 849
  • Gender: Male
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #7 on: December 30, 2008, 11:39:07 pm »
if i were you just because it is 7th and 8th graders i would work in the mating habbits.  for some odd reason sex at that age is all they think about and it might be enough to grab thier attention to let some of the other stuff sink in also. 
Take me to the land of milk and honey!!!

Offline KONASDAD

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2011
  • Gender: Male
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #8 on: December 31, 2008, 11:19:10 am »
PM me if you want a powerpoint started by understudy, amended by me and amended again by Robo.  Its pretty darn good tool if powerpoint is available.
I like doing a quiz at end of demonstartion w/ winner getting a small bottle of honey. If I have mutiple grades, one question per grade. Of course multiple winners gets the class excited too. Kids arealso fascinated by the numbers of bees. Like how many it takes to make a pound , life expectancy, eggs layed and such. I like putiing it in real terms too. Like it takes 2 million flowers to make one pound, thats equivalent to 40 sold out NFL stadiums of people; or the distance flown is aprox 55K miles,. more than twice around globe etc
"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

Offline WhipCityBeeMan

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 148
  • Gender: Male
Re: Beekeeping seminar for 7th and 8th graders
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2008, 06:37:45 pm »
Hi there, just curious what town you(the school) are in. So what town are you in? :-D

I teach in Westfield MA at Westfield Vocational Technical High School
Sola Scripture - Sola Fide - Sola Gracia - Solus Christus - Soli Deo Gloria

 

anything