We've been hearing a lot in the news lately about CCD, or Colony Collapse Disorder, where bees fly away and never return to their hive. Scientists don't know why it's happening, but they're concerned enough about it to allocate significant resources to investigating the problem. You see, without bees to pollinate flowers, our crops would be in trouble.

With all of this attention on bees, it seems like this is the right time to teach kids about how everything works together. Even something as little as a bug is very important.

Take your kids someplace where they can see bees in action. Fruit orchards often have beehives nearby. Our local fairgrounds has a farm area including a permanent beehive so that people can learn about agriculture. Add a little something extra to make the learning experience more fun and memorable. Maybe you can visit a farm that include animals like goats, pigs, horses and chickens. That alone is enough to make the trip exciting. Books are always fun. A picture book about a bee would delight a little one, while photos of bees and beehives might interest someone who loves to see the nitty gritty of how things work. What about watching the Bee Movie? Honey is always a hit. If you can find them, honey sticks are a great snack. If your child is under one year old, you might want to forgo the honey this time around. A ziploc bag of Honeycomb cereal would be memorable, especially if you don't normally buy sugar cereal.

But what can a kid do about the problem of dying bees? Plenty! Be nice to bees, plant a flower that they'll like. Older kids might make this into a project. Is there a scout badge that requires learning about an animal or the environment? What about extra credit in science? Or a current events report?



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