A Visit to the Bee Farm | Printable Packet | Instant Download
One of the great joys of homeschooling our kids is the ability to take them to new places and expand their horizons. Last week we had an opportunity to do just that. Recently we spent an afternoon at an apple farm picking apples and, at the request of my son, we also purchased a jar of honey. Both he and my daughter have been enjoying that honey immensely. They’ve eaten it on toast, on biscuits, and, really, on anything else that it happens to touch.
This week, we decided to take that newfound excitement for honey and turn it into an entire learning experience. We started out by doing a quick search online for resources on bees. There are a ton of great resources out there, but we love to experience things for ourselves when we can. So when we saw a local bee farm in the area, we thought, “Why not?”
While Lanier Bee Barn doesn’t typically do tours of their grounds, Harold Lanier, the owner, was happy to open his barn to us. We, in turn, were super excited to give our kids a closer look at these fascinating little creatures.
As we arrived, Harold was wrapping up his work on one of his chores. He hastily dusted off his hands and invited us inside the barn, where his shop is set up. Lanier Bee Barn’s main focus is on making and selling beekeeping equipment, like the boxes where the bees live and the frames inside where they build their honeycomb. Each Spring, Harold also gives a course on how to become a beekeeper and even sells NUCs, which are the beginnings of a new hive. On top of all that, he also happens to produce award-winning honey.
After teaching us a bit about the shop, Harold got down to the business of teaching our kids about the hives. Around each one we could see a cloud of the insects, busily buzzing and bringing any nectar and pollen that they happened upon into the hive. Before going any closer he reviewed the rules with our kids.
No running, no swatting, and no panicking. The bees may land on you, but they are most likely just interested in the minerals in your sweat. If one does land on you, the best thing you can do is simply to freeze. And with that quick reminder, we approached the hives.
As we came up to the first clusters of hives, Harold had us stop about 15 or 20 feet away. He, himself continued on, removing the lid of the hive to show us what they look like on the inside. Hundreds of bees clustered on the frame he chose, each one going about its business. He brought it closer so we could get a better look, and was even able to point out the queen for us.
On that same frame, we were also able to see some of the larvae sitting in their honeycomb cells. Each one waited to be fed so they too could grow into productive members of the hive.
Returning the frame back to the hive, Harold refocused on taking questions from the kids. He was a veritable fount of knowledge, with an easy answer to each of our questions.
Once the kids’ questions dried up, we moved back into the main shop area. We finished off the trip by checking out honeycomb that Harold had cleaned off the outside of one of the bee boxes. And, of course, by buying some of his award-winning honey.
Even though I already knew that bees are an integral part of growing all sorts of plants, from the flowers we love to the foods that we eat, the trip to the Lanier Bee Barn was my first time up close and personal with them. And I would definitely say that I had a good time learning about bees. My kids? Less so. While they loved seeing the bees in the frame and having the queen pointed out to them, it was difficult for them to stay focused for the entirety of our time there. I definitely suggest priming your kids for a trip to a bee farm with some fun facts about bees and arming them with some interesting questions.
Whether you do that or not, I definitely feel like a trip to explore is well worth the time, especially if you get a host like Harold. My kids not only learned more about bees and their place in the world, but we also walked away with some honey. That, my friends, tastes like sweet success to me.
