want to have a presentation for 1st graders

[smgchandler]

i havent even been a beekeeper for a full year yet and my son told his teacher that i would talk about honeybees to his class - i have been to several meetings at two different clubs and read and read and read but i still have to ask a ton on here so i feel good enough about what i know to attempt this -- well the teacher jumped all over that and i got a phone call - i told her that this time of year was a really bad time and that an observation hive ( i have read ) is what this age really eats up but thats not possible this time of year - plus i dont have one - yet - and i offered to do a little something in the spring - well not good enough - she wants me to at least talk to them or show and tell them whatever i have to offer - my question is has anyone else had to do this on a whim and what did you do - yes i can take our suits and maybe a box and frame but i sure would like to have some pics or maybe some facts that will keep them interested for a few minutes anyhow - i will enjoy this as much as the kids i think but i want it to be interesting and informative - i thought about asking how many kids eat veggies and fruit and go from there with how important the honeybees are to us and then show them some pics and some equipment - if someone has some more info or suggestions for this age group i sure would appreciate their input - thanks

[Swobee]

Take a nuc hive with a few frames in it- undrawn, drawn and extracted. Bring some honey samples - light, medium, dark. Take your suit, tools, maybe the smoker if you can clean it out well so it doesn't smell. Un-do some of the damage done by The Bee Movie with a few real facts. Bring some photos if you have any to pass around.

Tell the group how important bees are for our food supply and not to fear them. I've been in front of almost 800 members of the public this year doing talks at schools, social & service clubs. Sometimes I use a Power Point and sometimes it's just a fun show-n-tell. You will enjoy it- keep it to their level of understanding and talk to the teacher & staff a lot during the presentation. They will help bring questions out and will ask some on an adult level, although these kids usually have no problem asking questions. Keep it simple, fun and informative.

The Ob hive will be nice when I get it set up. But I feel it's also going to be a great distraction to what I say. I'm going to have to work on my presentation with the Ob hive and see if I need to keep it covered, hidden in the background or go ahead and let it be right out front all the time.

[berkshire bee]

let them know you're in your first year and explain to them why it was important for you to start keeping bees. Be sure and have the teacher bring a camera. The 1st graders love having their picture taken wearing a bee veil and holding the smoker (unlit) Talk about the basics of starting a hive up to how you extract the honey. I spent three days with 2nd graders at a school this year. They will have a ton of questions. If you pm me with your email address, I'll send you some filese of bee pictures you might be able to use.
Talking to 1st graders is a good way to start. You'll be glad you had the experience.

[drobbins]

I did a few presentations for 7th graders last year
save the OH for the grand finale, once you bring it out it's all they can think about

Dave

[standman]

I too am a first year beek, and did my first presentation to three second grade classes this spring. This will be the most fun you have had since you started beekeeping! The OH is a great plus, but you do have to keep it covered until you get finished, because once you bring it out, it is mostly over. But don't worry about not having it yet, there is still a lot you can do.
I followed some suggestions on here (do a thread search) that worked well. I asked the teacher to come forward and put on all of my equipment. Pass the smoker around (don't worry about the cleaning--the smell is part of the experience) I took an entire hive body--bottom board, deep and super boxes, and frames in all stages(foundationless, with wax, drawn and some capped honey if you have it), inner cover and telescoping cover. I even broke some wax foundation into pieces so it could be passed around the room.
If you can do powerpoint, that is a plus. If not, the bee supply houses have some great charts that you can get, including life cycle of the bee and comparisons of queen, worker, and drone. I ended my presentation by offering a taste of my raw honey to each student.(I had both cut comb and extracted) It was a real hit.
You will have fun. Make sure someone takes pictures. And be prepared to be asked back.

[Fred Bee]

My wife and I have done this several times lately. She usually begins by asking the children how many of them saw the "Bee Movie." This generates lots of interest...then she tells the boys and girls how important bees and pollination are to our environment. She asks, "You like apples, strawberries, watermelon?" And then explains that pollination by the bees helps to make these foods so good to eat. Then I don my bee suit and show them a nuc hive (less bees) and the tools a beekeeper uses. If you have some honey straws and the teacher permits it...you can offer some honey for the boys and girls to sample. (But that does cost money...so up to you as to if you want to invest in that) All this seems to work really well for us and we let the kids ask questions along the way. They seem to really come up with some good ones. I am convinced that this is a most worthwhile endeavor.
Good luck...
Fred

[tecumseh]

humm... I have this constant demand by teacher at about the age group you are referring to who want me to collect little bit of 'naturally made' comb.

I would suspect (I have never really inquired with these teachers in regards to their teaching plan) that the architecture and material just in the simple hand sized piece of comb could get quite elaborate and time consuming. the teachers in question do tell me that hands on is always a definite plus.

[Swobee]

As Tecunseh said 'hands on'. That's why I didn't mention Power Point for this age level. They don't want a video or pictures on the wall, they want props to see and feel. Entice them into asking questions, by getting them involved. Ask them questions as you go. Hold up a small container and ask "Do you know how many bees it took to fill this little bottle?" "How many flowers did they visit to get the netar to make honey for this little bottle?" Things such as that.

When it comes to putting on a bee suit or veil, consider your group size. If you're dealing with two or more class rooms at one time with 40-60 kids... You better have all day to do this thing. I like to get their teacher in a suit instead.

They will love the props and will ask excellent questions. I never take my Power Point bee demo to elementary schools. I do take my set of Dadant 13" X 18" photos and maybe share a couple of them with younger age groups to point some things. As for questions, be prepared because at that age, some of their queries will be a little bit 'out there in left field'. But that's part of what makes it fun for all. Then a few days later if some hand drawn crayola thank you letters arrive, it really makes your day!

[beemandan]

On my last outing to do a show and tell with 200 second graders (5 groups of 40...2 classes per group) I took a hive (no bees), veil, new (clean) smoker and got 10 copies of the latest pollination poster from the USDA (NRCS). I used one of the posters to show many of the different pollinators and fruits and vegetables that they helped produce. I asked who had seen the Bee movie and who had eaten honey. I had 15 minutes per group. I never ran out of things to talk about and you'll be amazed at how good the questions are from second graders. As each group left I offered the teachers a copy of the poster for their classroom. At the end every one took a poster....and I didn't have any left for myself....sniff, sniff...
I always ended with a statement to the effect...When you are out in your yard next spring and you see bees flying all around....its ok to watch....they are very busy and have lots of work to do....and if you don't bother them, they won't bother you.

[arkansasbee]

The National Honey Board has a really nice bee presentation that is designed for young school grades. It doesn't cost much, and is even less if a certified teacher orders it.

[ScadsOBees]

I have the observation hive out from the beginning. That way throughout the presentation the kids can come up 2 at a time during to check it out, that avoids the mob. My kids stand and keep track of the queen for me.

Keep it simple. Hit the most interesting parts, but without the details. Make the girls feel good about being the workers. Keep it interactive, asking them questions about bees, wasps, and veggies.

Do the waggle dance, maybe have a couple of kids do it too!

If you do come up with a presentation, try to make it so that you can scale it up from 1st to 4th to 7th grade, since you will likely be doing that later.

Rick

[NorthALABeeKeep]

I have done the classroom demo thing for local schools in my county. The group that seemed to get the most out of the material was 4-6 grade and then 10-12 grades. The younger children (kindergarden and 1st grade) seemed only be interested in the pictures from the power point presentation and didn't really pay attention to what was been said by the beekeeper. A lot of the children in this age group were really interested in telling me the adventures they had with friends or relatives when they stepped on a bee and got stung. I suggest you start by asking who knows what a bee looks like, and then show pictures of wasp, yellow jackets, bumble bees and hornets and then finally a honey bee. To many people young and old anything that stings is a bee. A teacher told me that a childs age is usually a good indicator of the length of their attention span. So you must keep them thinking or entertained or you will lose them.
just my 2 cents

[Jethro]

The video by the Honey Board is good for this age group. It really keeps their attention. Especially if you tell them that there will be a test at the end, and then ask 2 or 3 questions about the facts from the movie giving the winners a small bear or tub of creamed honey. Then if you want do the OH. After I do that I give everyone a honey stick and let them sample 3 or 4 types of honey (mine, blueberry, buckwheat & orange blossom) and explain why the differnt taste. Another thing that is great for this age group are the coloring books from Dadant about 25 cents each (put your name and number on them). As to the cost keep records of amount spent then use it on your taxes as advertising.