I’m sure you’ve heard about the importance of bees in the process of pollination! But what is pollination anyway? What would happen if we lost our bees? Are there any pollinators besides bees? Find the answer to these questions and more in this units lessons and activities.
Check out these articles, tips, and activities below!
Lesson 1: Why is Pollination So Important?
DID YOU KNOW?
- In North America, 75% of our food supply, and 90% of our plants in general, depend on pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
- Although bees are the most important pollinators, there are many other animals that pollinate such as birds, bats, lemurs, and rodents.
- There are around 2,000 species of pollinating birds.
- The use of pesticides may impact the population of pollinating species.
- Most bees in North America don't make honey.
- Utah has roughly 900 different species of bees!
Read this article from the National Audubon Society for more information on why we need pollinating species and how to protect them.
Go bee-watching! You’ve probably heard of bird watching. While birds are fascinating animals to watch, there are thousands of other interesting and beneficial creatures right in your neighborhood. Explore an area near you house or along a favorite hiking trail and count how many bees you find. Take it a step further and count how many different pollinators you can spot (such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and wasps).
ACTIVITY: FLOWER DISSECTION
This Flower Dissection Activity is very easy to do and will keep kids busy for some time! Before you begin, you will need to collect flowers. I recommend taking flowers from your own garden or purchasing discounted/dying flowers at a grocery store or flower shop.
Step 1. Print the Flower Diagram PDF. There is a beginner version with the parts of the flower labeled, and an trickier one with the labels blank.
Step 2. Label the parts of the flower or read the labeled parts. Color the flower diagram if you’d like.
Step 3. Find flowers to dissect. Flowers from the Liliaceae (lily) family have obvious stamens and stigmas. Try to find a few different species to dissect.
Step 4. Dissect your flower, matching the parts of your real flower to the parts on the diagram. You may notice that not all flowers have parts that match the diagram. The diagram shows a “perfect” flower, but there are different flower types (such as “composite”). Dissect them anyway and see if you can spot similarities!
Use the blank space to the right to tape or glue your flower pieces to. This will make for a very nice display, but unfortunately can't be kept forever.
OTHER PLANT OR POLLINATION ACTIVITIES
This is certainly not the only activity you can do to teach your kids about plants! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Plant a vegetable garden.
- Learn about your local bees.
- Plant a pollinator garden.
- Have a pollination snack! Throw a few juice boxes or otter-pops into a large bowl. Cover the drinks with Cheetos. Tell your kids to dig through the Cheetos to find the drinks, and discuss how the cheesy powder rubs off on their hands, even though they were going after a different treat.
- Play this hummingbird pollination game: https://www.audubon.org/news/hummingbird-pollination-practice.