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Our Goal

Planet Bee Foundation is dedicated to creating environmental stewards of all ages, who will go on to have a positive impact on our interconnected world.

We understand that ethics and values are formed early in life, and therefore promote holistic approaches to education which include understanding the complexities of the natural world and the effect humans have on the Earth. We dream of an ecoliterate society with a higher concern for the greater good. When empathy and emotional intelligence are fostered and connections are drawn, it is more likely that positive actions will be taken. We hope our fellow educators around the world will work with us to create a more sustainable future, beginning in the classroom.

Why is it crucial to teach children to love and appreciate nature?

It is crucial for teachers to cultivate an emotional or value-based link between child and knowledge because this is how lifelong impacts can be made. We don’t want a student to only remember that the bees are in danger, we want them to feel concerned for them, a concern which will spur them to action. This emotional connection to knowledge is called affective learning. The environmental attitudes of adults are often based on this affective learning; on formative childhood experiences of emotional responses to nature or its destruction as well as role model parents or teachers. When we encourage students to love and want to protect honey bees, you can cultivate an environmental ethic in the next generation.

Why is interdisciplinary learning key to making knowledge go deep?

Interdisciplinary learning gives students a more integrative and well-rounded view of the world. It allows them to make connections instead of drawing boundaries. When an issue is approached from multiple angles, a deeper understanding is gained and effective solutions come to light. Issues of the environment are interdisciplinary in nature, as social, economic, ecological, cultural, and ethical components combine. It is only through understanding the interplay of such factors that we can create a truly sustainable world. By teaching about bees through the lenses of biology, ecology, economics, history, and conservation, we can give students a holistic understanding of the bees’ lives, validating their existence and inspiring actions of stewardship.

Why is it important to engage students in active, experiential learning?

Experiential learning means allowing students to have their own experiences which they then reflect on and draw conclusions from, making them active rather than passive in the learning process. Studies show that the more experiences children have in nature, the more inventive and creative they will become, and the more concerned and active about the environment they will be. Additionally, studies show that physically acting out concepts has been shown to increase understanding of the concept. Lessons that involve hands-on, sensory interactions address all learning styles. When we allow students to learn through experience, the knowledge they gain will go deeper, integrating into their previous experiences and changing the way they look at the world forever.

How does eco-literacy help the greater good?

By educating today’s youth about environmental issues, we’re not only making a change in the present - we’re significantly impacting the future as well. Students become policymakers and investors, business owners and consumers. Every decision they make in their adult lives has the potential to make our planet more or less sustainable. A child who learns to love bees and wants to stop bee and pollinator decline could grow up to be the entomologist who solves the problem of parasitic Varroa mites. A student who feels a connection to the hive and develops compassion towards other species could go on to become a politician who passes legislation to protect threatened insect and animal species. By building an environmental ethic in students, we are making an investment in a greener planet in the decades and centuries to come - a planet where hives are still thriving, where humans can continue to depend on bees for one-third of our food supply and creatures in the natural world are supporting by a healthy balanced ecosystem.

Why teach about bees?

We teach about the importance of bees to our food systems and ecosystems as a pathway to conservation and STEM fields, cultivating the green leaders of the future through the power of science and stewardship.

With our world facing the daunting issue of climate change, students can feel overwhelmed and powerless. By educating youth about a real-world environmental crisis and providing them with the steps to help solve it, we are creating lifetime stewards and the critical thinkers of tomorrow.

When we teach students about bees, we are engaging them in the complex and fascinating world of a different species. By immersing them in this knowledge, we cultivate a sense of empathy for different species, and replace fear with respect and affection, breaking the trend of people caring more about the wellbeing of domesticated species than wild ones. When we introduce the issue of bee decline, we are encouraging students to consider a real-world problem and empowering them to get involved by taking individual action.