Third-grade teacher and experienced beekeeper Linda Reich rewards her class’s busy bees with something sweet – honey.“Our third grade curriculum includes a study of pollination, so it made sense for me to spend a bit more time on the study of honey bees, since I do know a lot about that particular pollinator,” said Reich. “The kids read books, watched videos, drew diagrams and even made ‘bee sticks’ with deceased bees that I collected from my bee yard.”
After learning so much about pollination, students were able to participate in their own honey extraction in the classroom. Reich brought equipment, including a warmer to soften and liquefy the honey, an “uncapping tank” to catch the wax and a hand-cranked extractor to spin the honey off the frame and out of the honeycomb. “Later in the week, the kids and I poured the honey into jars with labels that the kids created themselves,” she said. “They are bringing the jars of honey home as holiday gifts.”
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