Activity instructions

Part A: Know your locals

Step 1

Explain to children that in this activity they will be thinking about, talking about and observing bees.

Begin by asking children what they already know about bees, for example:

I wonder what bees look like?
I wonder where we can find bees?
I wonder if bees make noise?
I wonder if bees make anything we can eat?
I wonder what we like about bees?

Step 2

You will now work together to have a look at some pictures of bees (see Native Bee Visual Explainer). Explain that these are all bees and that you might have seen some of these bees in your garden.

As you look at the images, talk about what you notice about these bees, for example:

What is interesting?
What is strange?
What you would like to know more about?

Step 3

Read the following to children:

As you can see from these images, Australian native bees come in lots of sizes and colours. But there are many more native bees than those on the flashcards - there are believed to be over 1600 species of native bees in Australia! We just don’t see them so often because we mostly get to see and hear the European honey bees.

Native bees and European honey bees are important for both our environment and for the food we grow - bees move pollen around between plants, which helps plants to produce fruits and seeds. We can eat some of these fruits and seeds, and we can grow more plants with the seeds.

Now pose the following question:

I wonder if we have any native bees where we live?

Part B: Observing bees

Step 1

Explain to children that they will now go outside to look at bees. Before you do, read through the Bee Safe Factsheet and ensure that children understand how to be safe around bees.

You may also like to discuss the fact that there will likely be other pollinators - some of these may include ants, butterflies, wasps, flies, moths and birds. The weather, the seasons and the time of day can affect the bee activity - bees tend to prefer warmer, dryer days so if it’s cold and rainy you might not find many bees. But you will probably observe other pollinators. This document has some of the other insect pollinators you might find (even if you don’t live in the area the document has been prepared for, the images may be useful in helping you understand and identify some of the other types of insects you observe).

Step 2

Now head outside. You want to look for flowering plants, so this might mean taking a walk down the street or to the local park if you don’t have any in your own yard.

Remind children to approach plants with caution and to avoid quick movements. Also, remind children not to pick the flowers - the bees and plants need them!

When you locate a bee/insect spend some time observing it and discussing things like:

What do you notice about the bee/insect? (colours, shape, size, features - see Native Bee Anatomy)
I wonder what the bee/insect is doing?
I wonder what the bee/insect is looking for?
I wonder if we can hear the bee/insect?
Is the bee/insect moving quickly or is it taking its time?
If you had to describe the character of the bee/insect, what words would you use? (e.g. fast, slow, hovering, weaving/curving/straight flight. How do they move on/between the flowers? Some European bees wriggle as they gather nectar. Some disappear into the flower completely. There might even be an ant on the flowers.)
Spend some time watching the bee/insect move and imagine that movement was a dance - can you move your hand in the same way, doing the ‘dance moves’ that the insect is doing?

Note: Older children could record observations using this Insect Pollinator Observation Sheet.

Keep observing the bees and other insects for as long as children are interested. You could consider taking photos of some of the bees (or other insects) that you observe to refer to later.

Part C: Bee creative!

Children could create their own drawing of some of the bees (or other pollinators) they observed in the garden.

Alternatively, you could use one of the following templates to create native bee finger puppets or native bee bunting.

Native Bee Bunting Template
Native Bee Finger Puppet Template

Follow the instructions below:

Cut out several of the Native Bee Finger Puppet Template or the Native Bee Bunting Template, or trace them onto greaseproof paper (greaseproof paper works will because you can colour it in and it is translucent). Try to colour your bee in before cutting it out - this will help to avoid the paper tearing.
Colour them in to represent some of the different native bees you saw in your garden or in the Native Bee Visual Explainer.
Where you have made finger puppets, consider using this Role-Play Activity with your puppets. Alternatively, create a bee dance with the finger puppets, moving each bee as if they were a dancer. Remind children of the different ways the insects/bees you observed moved and the character traits you assigned them and see if you can incorporate these observations into your dances
Where you have made bees for a bunting, stick your coloured in bees to a piece of string and hang in a window. Older children could also add labels to the bunting, such as ‘Australian native bees’, ‘Found in our garden’ or ‘Love your local bees’.

Taking it further

If you are interested in attracting more native bees to your garden, you could consider the following actions:

Create a native bee garden - Plant a cluster of plants that native bees are attracted to. Plants you can use can be found below (check with your local council or nursery about which particular varieties are suitable for your area):
- Planting and Creating Habitat to Attract Bees - Valley Bees
- Choosing Plants To Attract Native Bees - Bees Business
- Gardening for Bees - ACT for Bees
- In addition, you might find the following documents also useful:
Build a bee hotel - A bee hotel is a hotel where solitary native bees (most of them) can have a nest and raise their young. Where European honey bees live in a hive, solitary bees live on their own. The images help to explain this difference:

Solitary Native Bee doesn't live in nests but uses a tube in a bee hotel

Hotels can be made from a piece of native timber (non-treated) with holes drilled in for bees to enter into. The size of the holes is extremely important as bees will only use holes that are the right width and length for them. Bee hotels will also need regular cleaning to avoid the spread of disease. For more information about how to make and look after a bee hotel and where to install it, have a look at the Solitary Bee Homes Factsheet.

Become a bee detective - Read more about native bees and find out how to become a bee detective with this book: Bee Detectives by Vanessa Ryan-Rendall, Brenna Quinlan.

Observing Native Bees (home learning)

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