A Honey Bee Rescue

Spring is firmly upon us up in Ivon Wilson park. Our tamariki have been making the most of the beautiful blossom trees and the warmer weather during our adventures at Nature Discovery.

Last week on Wednesday some of the children were 'fishing' on Lake Henry. It was pretty exciting when our parent helper rescued two honey bees which had fallen in the water.
The wet and bedraggled bees were carefully taken over to the stone table to dry. There was a bit of discussion about how the bees would have drowned if they hadn't been rescued as their wet wings meant that they couldn't fly.

As the tamariki patiently waited for the bees to dry out, the importance of bees in our eco-system made its way into the conversation. Judy talked about how bees are vital in their role of pollinating plants and flowers so that we can have lots of nice fruit and vegetables. We talked about the difference between some insects which are pests and don't help our environment (like wasps) and insects who are important for balancing out our eco-system (such as bees).

Only one bee survived until it was dry enough to fly again. The children placed the bee onto a nice bush so that it could rest.

The children are learning to be responsible guardians of our area. They are learning to look after the creatures in our space, no matter how small.
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post written by Tash