World Bee Day is celebrated annually on 20 May to raise awareness of the importance of bees. The theme changes each year – see https://www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day to find out more about this year’s theme.

Resource 1

Kevin Cook from the GA’s International Special Interest Group (ISIG) produced a presentation to help schools develop awareness of beekeeping and celebrate World Bee Day. It features the Hospicio Santa Maria in Guatemala, where Sister Dee keeps honey to supplement the diet of her patients and to sell to raise funds. This resource could be used:

• as an assembly resource to raise awareness of beekeeping and the challenge keepers are facing
• in primary lessons as part of a topic on nature or ecosystems – children could:
  • locate Guatemala on a map or in an atlas
  • discuss the differences between the European and Guatemalan bees pictured
  • look at how the climate graph compares to one for the UK
  • discuss the different activities carried out at the Hospicio Santa Maria to raise funds – this could involve some maths work looking at the amount of money raised through each activity and how this may change in the future
  • explore how climate change is likely to affect Guatemala and how this will affect beekeepers
  • make a pledge to take action to protect bees.
• in secondary geography lessons to explore issues including intermediate technology, biodiversity and climate change
• to support cross curricular learning i.e. design and technology and geography teachers could work together to raise students awareness of bees and to build a bee box – https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/features/how-to-build-a-bee-box

Download: World Bee Day Guatemala Case Study PowerPoint

Download: World Bee Day Guatemala Case Study PowerPoint notes

Resource 2

Catherine Owen, from ISIG, has made a short presentation to raise awareness of bee-derived products often found in UK shops, threats to bees and these products and how children can make a difference.

Download: What do bees do for us PowerPoint

Resource 3

Paula Owens, from EYPPC, has made a short presentation for Primary pupils with information about bees, why they are important and a story about the importance of honey from Tigray, Ethiopia, Africa.

Download: Buzz of life PowerPoint

Further resources

Here are some links to other online resources:

https://www.worldbeeday.org/en/

https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/world-bee-day

https://internationaleventday.com/event/world-bee-day/

https://www.fao.org/world-bee-day/en/

This resource was produced by Kevin Cook and Catherine Owen from ISIG, and Paula Owens from EYPPC.