Nursery children have been doing their bit for bees after learning about the ecological crisis that threatens them. Annette Rawstrone reports.

Children at the Hopscotch Nurseries group in East Sussex are learning about the importance of bees and helping to encourage them back into our environment. It began when the group's owner, Barbara Watson, read an article about the recent dramatic worldwide decline in the bee population (see box).

'At Hopscotch we feel it is beneficial to be ecological and instil eco-friendly awareness into the children's daily routines from a young age,' explains group manager Claire Martin. 'We purchase biodegradable nappies and organic food and take care to recycle and compost. Teaching children about the plight of bees and encouraging them to play a part in getting them back into our gardens and countryside is an extension of this work. In the long run, it will benefit the environment and the children if it helps to bring back bees.'

The chain has purchased 1,000 packets of wildflower seeds for the children at its five nurseries to take home and plant with their family and friends in the hope that they will help attract bees. They have also printed information sheets to accompany the seeds.

As well as planting flowers, Hopscotch staff have planned a variety of activities to build on the children's growing interest in bees and educate them on the benefit of bees for our environment.

A beekeeper visited the children at the nursery group's Portland Road setting to talk to the children about which bees make honey and how. She explained how they start the honeymaking process by visiting flowers and sucking out the nectar, and emphasised how important flowers are for bees.

Nursery manager Gemma Middleton says, 'The beekeeper brought along the clothes that she wears when she collects the honey and explained to us how she does it. The children were also interested to actually see what a bee hive looks like and how it is made up. They loved all the props that the beekeeper brought with her and asked lots of questions.'

Following the beekeeper visit, the children tasted honey and used it in their cooking activities. The topic has caught the imaginations of many of the children, and they have engaged in follow-up activities including creating beehives out of Lego, dressing up as bees and bringing in objects from home to display on an interest table - from pictures and books to bees' wax, honeycomb and jars of honey.

Ms Middleton adds, 'They have learned loads, including that worker bees are girls and the boys are called drones, and that the queen bee stays in the hive. Above all, they understand the importance of bees and why we should protect their habitat.'

BEE FACTS

  • - Since around 2006 there have been reports of millions of bees simply disappearing
  • - England's bees are vanishing faster than anywhere else in Europe, with more than half of hives dying out over the last 20 years
  • - Bees play a vital ecological role in the pollination and reproduction of plants
  • - Up to a third of food crops are pollinated by bees
  • - The situation is so serious that the UK Government has launched a £10m project to find out what is causing bees and other insects to disappear
  • - Experts blame the decline on a variety of factors including the parasitic varroa mite, fungus, viruses, stress, pesticides, climate change, loss of habitat and malnutrition
  • - Out of more than 2,000 bee species, only four types actually make honey
  • - Honey bees form huge colonies of as many as 20,000 - all the offspring of a single queen bee
  • - Bees can fly at speeds of up to 20 mph
  • - Bees don't sleep

 

BEE FRIENDLY!

Many nurseries take care of birds by putting out food and providing shelter, but bees often get overlooked.

Friendly plants: Encourage bees back into your nursery garden by planting flowers with pollen or nectar that attracts them. As a general guide, bees love daisy and bell-shaped flowers, such as bluebells, primroses, forget-me-nots and lupins. The flowers on many fruit and vegetable crops, especially beans, peas, apples and raspberries, are also popular. Fragrant herbs such as sage, thyme, mint and lavender will attract bees.

Friendly places: Bees need safe places to shelter and hibernate over winter. Why not help the children to make a 'bee hotel'? Many gardening websites have clear step-by-step instructions, including:

 

FURTHER READING

'Hatching out' by Annette Rawstrone (Nursery World, 24 March 2011).