One of the most important things we do at the IEBA is to provide free, informative, and fun honey bee presentations to local school classrooms. Each year dozens of teachers throughout the Spokane and north Idaho area ask us to visit. IEBA volunteers who have been trained in school presentations come to the classrooms armed with honey bee videos, pictures, hats and veils, beekeeper suits, smokers, frames of honey and anything they can find that will make the presentation interesting for the kids.

The students are always attentive and have lots of great questions. This time of year the schedule is full of 2nd graders who have been studying insects and are very eager to learn more about bees and beekeeping. Each presentation ends with the teacher being given enough honey sticks to go around...a big finish that the kids love!

It's not unusual for presenters to receive a thank-you note or card from the teachers and/or the students. But this year, the 2nd graders at Colbert elementary really outdid themselves! Pictured here is Chris Fischer holding what could possibly be the biggest honeybee thank-you card ever made! Chris shared beekeeping information with four classrooms of 2nd graders at Colbert this spring and was amazed when they presented her with this card of thanks! Each student and teacher signed the belly of the honeybee.

School presentations will begin again in the fall. Teachers are reminded that they can sign up at the IEBA booth at the Spokane Interstate Fair and the North Idaho Fair if they are interested in having a presentation in their classroom next school year. Teachers may also download a The Honey Files: A Bee's Life for teaching levels 4-6. This publication is created by the National Honey Board whose website can be found at www.honey.com.

 

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