Teaching

At lunchtime, I dashed down to the allotment for a very unusual but exciting event – I was going to be teaching a group of home schooled children about bees. The family on Plot 1 home school their children who adore outdoor learning and forest school. As it turns out, they were learning about bees this week and Nikki asked if I could teach the children about the bees, the hives and show them some of the equipment. 

When I arrived, I discovered quite a crowd of people with Nikki. I wasn’t expecting so many! Cliff shouted to say there was a swarm (when isn’t there?!) and to be careful. I led the children and their parents down to the Community Garden and found the gate open. As they gathered around, I told them about how the hives work and answered their questions. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and curiosity about the natural world.

As we walked up to the shed to show them my bee suit, I stopped to show them the swarm. The bees had covered one side of the hive. To add insult to injury, it turned out the small swarm I caught on Sunday had gone back to their hive so all my efforts were for nothing! Up at the shed, I showed the children the bee suit and asked for volunteers to try out wearing the gloves, jacket and trousers. Considering how big the jacket is on me, it utterly dwarfed the children!

Hopefully, the children enjoyed their time at the allotment and will continue to explore the incredible world around them. Who knows, maybe some will want to have their own bees!

Some bright spark asked about the chickens which after a quick cuddle with Roxy, we decided to keep chickens for another visit!