JUNIOR: Pollinators
Curated by Kierden Martin
What’s the buzz on bees? Dive into the amazing world of bees and pollinators, get outside for some nature journaling, make a hotel for bees and go wild with research. Show off your learning with a concept map.
As pollinators, bees play a part in every aspect of the ecosystem. They support the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants, which serve as food and shelter for creatures large and small. Bees contribute to complex, interconnected ecosystems that allow a diverse number of different species to co-exist.
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Land Art
Bee Hotels
Students use found or recycled materials to support pollinators in their area and get the chance to explore their creativity.
Outdoor Exploration
Nature Art Journaling (15-25 min)
Take students outside, or have them go outside or sit by a window if at home. Ask them to bring paper, a pencil, and colouring materials they would like. These will be used later to make observational sketches.
Taking it to the next level… some research questions to explore.
Resources
The Amazing World of Bees (7:00 min length)
Why do bees have pockets? (Article)
Maths explains how bees can stay airborne with such tiny wings:
“The swirls of air at the edge of a bee’s wing enable the insect to angle its wing more sharply toward the sky, improving the flow of air over the wing. It’s this higher wing angle that gives bees, fruit flies and even humming birds enough lift to fly.”
Check out this collection of curriculum connections, activities and educational tools from Pollinator Partnerships, or this “bee week” guide if you want to extend the learning.
Why is blue so rare in nature? This video gives some insight into how blue morpho butterflies get their colour.
The Magic of Butterfly Scales (6:34 min length)
Butterfly Alphabet This is an alphabet made from pictures of the scales on butterfly wings.
Pollinator Puzzles: This is a great interactive puzzle created by Canadian Wildlife Federation to help students explore which flowers attract which kind of pollinators. Their site has printable pollinator agent cards that students will try to match with the plant cards.
What Did You Learn?
Create a concept map of what you learned through your explorations. Make connections between activities. Add or draw pictures and use words to explain. What questions do you still have? How do pollinators connect to your environment right now? Are you at home with fruit or veggies in the fridge? What plants do you walk by on the way to school?
#wintergreenstudios #landartbioblitz #pollinators #projectbee