Last week, after hearing a story about bees in the classroom, the second grade got to experience them up close and personal! Beekeeper Annallys Goodwin-Landher started by firing up the smoker, first with pine, and then with basil branches and leaves.
Smoking the bees, causes them to retreat into the hive and start eating the honey.
While Annallys prepared the bees, the class gathered together to ask a few questions, and then split into three groups to visit the bees and do other tasks on the farm.
First group heads over to the apiary.
A few children tried to hold a drone. Drones don't sting!
At the very end, a sample of the hive was taken out for the classroom.
Another group task on the farm was sprinkling fermented nettle over the plants to nourish them and make them less tasty to leaf munching bugs. We use paint brushes and cups to do the job. Moonflower the chicken helped supervise.
Another group worked on scooping the old pine shavings from the chicken tractor and replacing it with fresh hay.
The old pine shavings are now rich with nitrogen thanks to all the chicken poop. Into the compost they go to break down and nourish our soil.
The second grade were not the only visitors to the farm. . . It was also visited by some resident deer! (Look carefully among the trees.) Could they have smelled the honey?
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