Community Based Unit of Instruction - Saving the Bees!

My Service Learning and Community Based Unit of Instruction was based on the beehives that the McGuffey High School and Agricultural program got in a grant.  I wanted to help build the program and incorporate the bees into my classroom, so I decided to make a unit based on the bees.  For the short term time, I wanted my students to learn more about what environment the bees need. I had them complete research on the types of pollinator gardens that we could build just for the bees. I wanted to make sure that we met the needs of the bees for the entire year, and not just a month or two out of the summer. To help fun this project and make it work, I applied for two different grants. One was with Walmart in our local area and the other was completed though Tanger Outlets. If we get more grant money, we would be using it to spend on resources for planting and maintaining our area.

            Due to the fact that I had gotten out of school a week early due to the Spring Break, I would have originally used that time to work on our pollinator garden. In my place, I contacted the Washington County Beekeepers Association. Currently in the month of May, we will be having representatives from the Beekeepers Association to come to the school and teach students about pollinator gardens. Students will be eating their lunch outside do we can have more time working with the bees and outside. The first two instructional days will take an hour and half of their time. Through the end of May, the beekeepers association will also be having volunteers coming out and helping us plant and place the flowers we have ordered. This will be helpful for some who has such a high knowledge about bees to help us increase their populations. The Washington County Beekeepers Association told me that they plan on giving me 10 to 12 instructional and work hours of their time to the bees and my students.

            I am highly disappointed that I will not be able to attend and help my students grow with this project, but I feel confident that they will be receiving the best knowledge and care by the professionals with the Washington County Bee Keepers Association.