Process over product. Have you heard that term before? This STEM craft does involve some adult input, but the magic is in the learning. This hands on activity is a direct representation of how bees transfer pollen between flowers, and it will give little learners information that they can directly translate to the real world.
DID YOU KNOW: More than one third of the food we eat is dependent on pollination by insects?
So what will you need?
We used:
- Paint + brushes
- Patty pans
- Green cardstock A3 size
- Bottle lids
- Pipecleaners
- Glitter/powder (consider the environment)
- Hot glue gun
How-to
Here’s our 4 minute video on how to create this pollination experience.
The main features of this craft are the flowers and the bee. You could easily make variations and changes to customise this craft to suit your family or class.
Teachers: why not make one poster with the whole class? Each student could contribute a flower and take turns at “pollinating”
Parents: Don’t have all the materials listed? Improvise! Use flour for pollen and something fluffy as the bee.
Need some bee inspo?
It’s not all black and yellow stripes! Here are some native Australian bees you may have seen before and can incorporate into your craft. This activity is a great springboard into lots of other STEM areas. Some examples of where-to-next are:
- how is honey made?
- what bees are native to my area?
- how does pollination contribute to the food we eat?
- what are some threats to bee populations?
- how do flowers use the pollen spread by bees?
- what are some other methods of pollination?
littlebutonce.com 