Bonner Elementary School, home of the Bonner Bees, was buzzing with excitement as they celebrated World Bee Day today. The staff planned a fun day with activities that included a honey-tasting contest, a spelling bee for the youngest students, and an up-close look at a working beehive. The students learned about the critical role bees play in our ecosystem.
The celebration is part of an ongoing initiative to provide students with immersive, hands-on learning experiences while raising awareness about environmental conservation. To show their support for the little pollinators, students and staff dressed in black and yellow, complete with bee antennae, to show their spirit for World Bee Day.
Students from kindergarten through fifth grade learned through bee-themed activities in their math, art, reading, language arts, and science classes.
"The students' overall reaction was that they all wanted to plant flowers and do their part to make the bee population grow," said Maria Sanchez, a fourth-grade teacher at Bonner Elementary. "They had fun learning about how the bees work, just like they work at their jobs on campus."
Adding to the excitement, local beekeepers Ann and Byron Kohls presented real beekeeping equipment to show the students how honey is harvested and how to care for bees. The students got an opportunity to observe the inner workings of a beehive and the busy bees inside. Ann and Byron, who have been beekeepers for the past seven years, are active members of the East Texas Beekeepers Association.
This celebration for World Bee Day was fun and inspired students to become stewards of the environment.
For more information, contact Jennifer Hines at Jennifer.Hines@TylerISD.org.