We recently had another enjoyable visit by Ian Lai, who has done a number of gardening workshops with our preschoolers. This round it was our Three-Year Old Class that had the pleasure of having Ian teach them about Mason bees, and Red Wiggler Worms.

 

Female Mason bees gather pollen and nectar, but did you know Mason bees are solitary and make their own nests? No worker bees for this species! Nor do they produce nectar honey or beeswax. Bees hatch from their cocoons in the Spring. Males emerge first, and wait near the nest for the females. They mate and the males then die.

 

The children, armed with magnifying glasses examined the bees and were completely intrigued and asked many questions.... “Where do they sleep?” Do they have a family?” “Do they sting?” Ian had the appropriate answers to all questions asked.

 

The Red Wiggler worms convert organic matter (kitchen waste) into high quality humus, providing our garden with castings, a complete natural fertilizer.

Most children were very cautious initially, but after a short while were happy to hold a worm in the palm of their hand. Some wasted no time (see below) in picking up the worms. Again, many questions were asked. “Do they eat?” “Do they have mouths?” “Do they poo?” The answer to all those questions is yes! “Why are they so bendy?” Bees have no skeleton, but they do have muscles that allows them to wiggle and move around.

 

Hand washing is always important after working in the garden and with the worms. On a good day, the children will have lots of dirt under their fingernails!

 

 

Barbi