School Bee Field Trips

            Did you know that inside the Calhoun County Library there is a real beehive full of living bees? Over 150 students visited the library and saw for themselves last week during Bee Field Trips. St. Matthews K-8, Calhoun Academy, and Sandy Run K-8 arrived at the library by the busloads to learn about the importance of bees in our community.

These three schools were invited to send elementary school students to the library to view our indoor bees while they received valuable lessons about them. On Tuesday, April 30, 2024, we had St. Matthews K-8; Wednesday, May 1, 2024, we hosted Calhoun Academy; and on Thursday, May 2, 2024, we had Sandy Run K-8. All of the students rotated through four bee stations: bee crafts, bee viewing in their hive, bee pollinator garden outside, and bee waggle dancing and fun facts.

Students were able to create two bee crafts, learn how to interpret the bees’ waggle dance (and they even did a little waggling of their own at the end), examine our pollinator garden with magnifying glasses and look for items on a scavenger hunt, and view our indoor beehive our very own beekeeper, Melissa. The bees showed off for our visitors flying in and out of the hive, depositing pollen, and even doing a waggle dance or two!  Each student left the library with fun facts, an interesting bee packet, and a goodie bag including a bee pen, a temporary bee tattoo, and a delicious honey stick for a sweet treat. We can’t wait to continue with these field trips for years to come and save the pollinators that are so important to us.

In case your child was not able to attend the field trip, or if you would like to view the bees yourself, we would love to have you visit the Calhoun County Library to watch these little busy-bodies fly in and out to gather pollen, make honey, and take care of their queen. Come and see what all the “buzz” is about!