Beekeeping: A science and an Art Form
Through our work with UMaine's 4-H Camp and Learning Center, we had the good fortune to begin a relationship with an AmeriCorps volunteer named Harry Leahey. He served as a counselor at the 7th grade retreat, helped in the garden through the after-school program, and even substituted for Mrs. Williams when she had her first child. That year the kids were interested in the bees they encountered in the garden; it resulted in all kinds of unplanned learning! The following spring, we decided that having our own beehive would insure good pollination and provide students with some sweet learning at the same time. Our first hive succumbed to colony collapse, but not to be deterred from our goal, we established another hive and kept on learning. As with every real life venture, problem solving opportunities abound. We've been lucky, however, to reap the knowledge of local beekeepers: Tony Bachelder, Ann Bell, and Russell Toussaint. Russell has built an observational hive for the classroom; it's beautiful and our hope is that in the near future we'll be learning about interdependent societies through the daily observation of our own bees!
Through our work with UMaine's 4-H Camp and Learning Center, we had the good fortune to begin a relationship with an AmeriCorps volunteer named Harry Leahey. He served as a counselor at the 7th grade retreat, helped in the garden through the after-school program, and even substituted for Mrs. Williams when she had her first child. That year the kids were interested in the bees they encountered in the garden; it resulted in all kinds of unplanned learning! The following spring, we decided that having our own beehive would insure good pollination and provide students with some sweet learning at the same time. Our first hive succumbed to colony collapse, but not to be deterred from our goal, we established another hive and kept on learning. As with every real life venture, problem solving opportunities abound. We've been lucky, however, to reap the knowledge of local beekeepers: Tony Bachelder, Ann Bell, and Russell Toussaint. Russell has built an observational hive for the classroom; it's beautiful and our hope is that in the near future we'll be learning about interdependent societies through the daily observation of our own bees!