The aim of having bees at school is to educate and enthuse the children about these essential pollinators, the environment and nature... hopefully inspiring the next generation of beekeepers.
As the beekeeper in charge of the Heron Hill apairy I will write some of our blog posts along with our bee team children who are very excited to share their knowledge and experience with you all!
Beekeeping is for everyone! It teaches respect and teamwork, builds confidence in the children and fosters responsibility and enterprise. All children in all year groups will have 'bee related sessions' from honey tasting, to candle making... our bees are for all the school to learn about and enjoy, including parents and carers grandparents and neighbours!
It is almost a year since we got our first hive of bees at Heron Hill school, and what an incredibly busy year it has been!
Together with Mrs Harper and Mrs Gorst, we have set up our weekly 'bee team' after school club open to children in Y4-Y6, which teaches the basics of beekeeping to the children over the winter when the bees are not active, ready for the beekeeping season in the Spring. The club was so oversubscribed, we had to split the interested children into two groups, even resorting to pulling names out of a hat!
So far we have had almost 45 children complete this 'basic' course, and I am so incredibly proud and impressed by their enthusiasm and knowledge.