Bees are very interesting creatures. Children will be amazed at some of the things bees do, while doing these fun activities and playing games. Here are some great bee lesson plans.
Pollinators
Talk to the children about what pollination is. Explain that without bees a lot of the food we eat wouldn’t be able to grow. All our fruits grow because of pollination. Bees pollinate flowers when they are collecting pollen to take back to the hive. Tell the children that they are now flowering apple trees and you are a bee. Have them hold their hands palm up. As a bee you are going to visit the apple blossoms.Visit some of the children, touching your hand to theirs, leaving some yellow glitter behind. Whoever has glitter on their hand was pollinated and will produce apples. Those who weren’t wont produce any food. What would happen if no one had glitter on his or her hands? No one would have apples. What if all the bees were gone? There would be no more apples anywhere. Are bees important? OF COURSE!!!
Queen, Drone and Workers (Variation of Wizards, Elves and Giants)
Remind students that because bees are social insects, all are needed for the hive to survive. Use this game to find out why not all bees can have the same job.
Set up boundaries.
Divide campers into two teams.
As a team they will decide what job they want to have in the hive.
Then they will line up in two lines facing each other, in the center of the playing area.
The queens will put hands triangling up on top of their head (a funny type of crown) .
The drones will put their hands on their hips.
The workers will make fists (something that indicates that they are ready to work).
Queens beat workers. Workers beat drones. Drones beat queens.
The winning team must chase the other team back to their home base. Anyone who gets tagged must join the opposing team.
Discuss the different roles that bees have in the hive and why they are all important.
Kin Recognition: Explain to students that honeybees recognize other members of their hive by scent (pheromones). The guard bees will only let in bees that have the smell of their queen. These smells are called pheromones. Occasionally guard bees will let in bees without the scent if they have lots of food for the hive.
Dip cotton balls in distinct smells (i.e. vanilla, pickle juice, peppermint, lemon juice, etc.)
Place cotton balls in film canisters. Determine the number of scents based on age and size of group.
Give each student a film canister and have him or her find the other students with the same scent. They will find their hives this way. (This can be done to determine teams for the relay race.)
The Proboscis
So that all the participants can understand what collecting nectar is really like, give each camper one empty cup, one cup of water, and a straw. Then tell them they are going to find out who is the best bee. When bees gather nectar from flowers they slurp it up and store it in their honey stomach, which they can then out into the hive. They need to use their straw to transfer as much nectar (water) from the flowers to their own honey stomach (their cup). Let them play and see how everyone does.
These lesson plans are sure to teach your child or classroom all they need to know about bees. Don’t take my word for it though try it out. Your children will love them.
