Celebrating Earth Day with a virtual visit to the district apiary

In honor of Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, McClellan science teacher Mrs. Farison visited the Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Apiary with Laurie Woodward, district beekeeper/apiarist, to create a video for McClellan and Gill Hall first and second grade students to take them on a “virtual field trip” to learn about our own TJ Honeybees! Mrs. Farison accompanied Mrs. Woodward in full bee suit attire for the first deep check of the hives to make sure that the bees made it through winter and that the hives are flourishing. They showed examples of stages of the bee life cycle and discussed how bees are important pollinators and what that means to the environment. Students also had the opportunity to see a frame from the hive up close and personal complete with honeycomb.

Since the students are currently studying the butterfly life cycle, this educational activity is a wonderful way to engage in critical thinking to compare and contrast butterflies and bees. In addition, all of the students in grades K-2 will receive a pollinator seedling courtesy of “Seedlings for Schools” which they can plant at their own home to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies! Kudos to Mrs. Farison for this fun and engaging science activity, and a special thank you to Mrs. Laurie Woodward for sharing her time and expertise! The entire educational video can be viewed online.