All resources in The Bee Cause Project

Good Taste: Honey Bee Forager Preference

(View Complete Item Description)

In this 5 lesson set, students learn about the foraging behavior of bees and hypothesize if the bee’s behavior is related to its ability to detect sugar. Students will then determine which type of foraging bee would be best for pollination or honey production. Students will learn about the process of gel electrophoresis as a genetic tool and analyze DNA to identify strains of bees who are better pollen-collecting bees or better nectar-collecting bees.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Case Study

Author: Mary Burke Morrow

Climte Kids: A Bee Is More Than a Bug

(View Complete Item Description)

In addition to instructions for making a model bee out of polymer clay, this site also contains related information about bees: a fact list, factors that threaten them, suggestions on how to help them, a waggle dance diagram and video, and even bee metaphors used in our language. The Climate Kids website is a NASA education resource featuring articles, videos, images and games focused on the science of climate change.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Why Beehive Honeycombs Have a Hexagonal Shape

(View Complete Item Description)

Beavers are generally known as the engineers of the animal world. In fact the beaver is MIT's mascot! But honeybees might be better engineers than beavers! And in this lesson involving geometry in interesting ways, you'll see why! Honeybees, over time, have optimized the design of their beehives. Mathematicians can do no better. In this lesson, students will learn how to find the areas of shapes (triangles, squares, hexagons) in terms of the radius of a circle drawn inside of these shapes. They will also learn to compare those shapes to see which one is the most efficient for beehives. This lesson also discusses the three-dimensional shape of the honeycomb and shows how bees have optimized that in multiple dimensions. During classroom breaks, students will do active learning around the mathematics involved in this engineering expertise of honeybees. Students should be conversant in geometry, and a little calculus and differential equations would help, but not mandatory.

Material Type: Lecture

Author: Fatma Al-Qatani

Understanding Organic: Connections to Action in the Garden Classroom

(View Complete Item Description)

***This curriculum is provided by The Edible Schoolyard Project with full permission to share*** Understanding Organic: Connections to Action in the Garden Classroom is a garden and classroom-based curriculum for middle to high school students that explores the concepts and meanings of organic agriculture. The curriculum consists of a short preparatory unit, a sequence of ten core lessons, and twelve optional extension inquiries that can also be taught as standalone lessons. The ten core lessons utilize hands-on explorations of organic practices and feature textual analysis and open discussions to examine the complex meanings of organic. The final project workbook introduces students to a social action project in which students apply their knowledge and experiences to enact justice-oriented change related to organic. We recommend that you start by reading the curriculum overview linked below before reading individual lessons. 

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Diagram/Illustration, Lesson Plan, Primary Source, Reading

Author: The Bee Cause Project

The Library Grant Details

(View Complete Item Description)

Your neighborhood Whole Foods Market Southern Region believes that Libraries Need Bees Too! Through this grant, we hope to help you make small changes to improve pollinator habitats and promote even bigger changes in your community while supporting pollinator literacy. We’ve provided the tools that you need to create your own Bee A Friend to Pollinators Community Event this year. Read on to learn more!

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: The Bee Cause Project

DIY Pollinator Garden Box Instructions

(View Complete Item Description)

Congratulations! You are about to improve pollinator habitats in your own space! Did you know that pollinators are responsible for one in three bites of food that you eat? Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, beetles, and flies, to name a few, are responsible for so many delicious foods we enjoy. From chocolate and coffee to apples and watermelons, we need these vital creatures to pollinate 80% of all flowering species and 35% of the world’s crops! And you can do your part to help the pollinators with a few simple steps. View Resource to learn more! 

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: The Bee Cause Project

4-H Honey Bee Project Orientation

(View Complete Item Description)

South Carolina 4-H Youth Development is the youth component of Clemson University Cooperative Extension, fulfilling the land-grant mission by taking research-based knowledge and educational resources to the state's youth, ages 5-18 years. One component of an SC 4-H Pollinator Program, the Honey Bee Project is an independent-study project that engages youth in the active role of beekeeping, learning the basics of entomology, and gaining an appreciation for pollinators in our world.  - South Carolina 4-H Pollinator Program Honey Bee Project Record Book, 2021

Material Type: Lecture Notes

Author: The Bee Cause Project