Page 51 - kids ebook

Your Facts and Feelings, Too!
While giving a classroom presentation, ticking off a few cool facts about bees (see page 44) is a great start to
break the ice with your students, but they will want to know more about your own story. Personalizing your les-
son will make your time with the students stick much longer. If they can relate to you as both a fellow person, and
a person that has a palpable love for bees, that is the sweet spot! I encourage fellow bee educators to think hard,
and maybe even do some writing, about three things before you enter a classroom.

1. Why do you love bees? i.e. is there something really cool that they do that you think is absolutely mind-
blowingly fascinating? A few of the reasons I love bees are: their ability to see ultraviolet light in flowers, the fact
that 99.9% of the hive is female, and that they communicate through dancing.

2. How did you become a beekeeper? Kids will really want to know this, because by the end of your lesson,
they will want to be a beekeeper, too!

3. What cool experiences have you had, or people have you met, through beekeeping that has changed
your life? One of my beekeeper friends arranges a trip to see a local beekeeper every time she travels. She’s
been able to see some amazing nooks and crannies of rural Europe because of these opportunities! I’ve had other
friends do beekeeping service trips to Malawi, Kenya, South and Central America, and China, where they met new
friends and saw amazing new places. I myself have been able to see places of the valley I was born and raised in,
previously off limits to me! Working as a beekeeper opened the doors, well, gates to some of the most beautiful
scenery that I have seen right at home (photo below).

Photo: “My Pot of Gold” Sarah Red-Laird 51