ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Honeybees do more than make honey, they’re essential to our food system, the health of our ecosystem, and now education. Experts say one in every three bites of food depends on pollinators like bees. Bees pollinate over 75% of the fruits, veggies and nuts we eat. Across the country, beekeeping programs are giving students a hands-on way to learn science, gain confidence, and even launch their own businesses. Pollinating
Beekeeping is part science, part art, and for many kids, part life lesson.
In classrooms across the U.S., beekeeping is creating a buzz, and educators like Tuesday Piper, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Orlando, Florida, are at the heart of it.
“I teach the students; I bring them into our apiaries to get them suited up along with us,” said Piper.
Part of a team teaching students about hive life, environmental impacts, and real-world connections.
“We learn about seeing nectar and pollen and honey and we want to see baby bees, we want to see the queen, we want to see a lot of different things inside the hive. So, I teach them what to look for,” explained Piper.
Beyond science, kids overcome fears, learn new skills, and connect with the world around them.
Like a thriving hive, students learn to work together, stay focused, and step into leadership.
“We learn skills to help us manage and operate our own business,” said 15-year-old Rashad.
By learning how to produce, market and sell the honey — students like Rashad hope it will inspire him in his own startup clothing line.
“I’m learning how to finance, market, a lot of them type of skills,” he told Ivanhoe.
Helping kids make connections: from pollination to profits, and passion to purpose.
For these students, beekeeping is more than just science, it’s a pathway to success.
If your kids are curious about bees, there are plenty of ways to get them buzzing. Visit a local garden or apiary, plant bee-friendly flowers, or watch kid-friendly bee videos together — like on PBS Nature or The Bee Conservancy. Get them involved in bee monitoring at http://www.bumblebeewatch.org/. You can also read bee-themed books, build a DIY bee hotel, or have a “honey breakfast” and talk about where that honey came from. It’s a sweet way to learn about science, teamwork — and even entrepreneurship.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Executive Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; and Bob Walko, Editor.
Produced by Child Trends News Service in partnership with Ivanhoe Broadcast News and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
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