Grow Your Bee Program

In partnership with The Bee Cause Project.

1 in 3 bites of food is made possible by pollinators, which is why learning about the world of bees is important to a deeper understanding of where our food comes from.

Come Along for the Bee Journey!

Created in partnership with our friends at The Bee Cause Project, follow these clear steps and accompanying resources to support you on your bee education journey. Whether you’d like to eventually welcome live bees or not, these steps will set you up for a successful educational bee program!

Check out a full visualization of these steps in the How to Start + Grow Your Bee Program resource and learn more in our Bee Program Webinars below.

Step 1: Build a Buzzworthy Foundation

Every Bee Program, like the hive, needs a strong foundation. We recommend beginning your bee journey with our adaptable lesson plans, activities, and curriculum – no hive needed.

Don’t know where to begin? Start your journey with the 6 Week Bee Unit.

Other great resources include:

STEP 2: GROW YOUR BEE CLUB

No bee operates alone! A Bee Club provides structure to build support among your student and educator community, and to create an environment for those who want to learn more about bees! Bee Clubs are also known to develop habitat on campus, share buzzworthy updates at home, and learn how to develop beekeeping skills together. No live bees required!

See the “How to Build a Bee Club” guide for more details.

STEP 3: CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

It takes a hive! Connect with your community members such as 4-H agents, local beekeeper association members, and farmers for in-person visits and field trips. Their unique pollinator experiences add to how we are all connected by the bees. These opportunities are an excellent way to weave your larger parent and educator communities in to better understand this program.

Plus a core component of applying for a beehive grant (see Step 4) is to have the involvement of a “Bee Mentor” or an experienced bee keeper who can support your hive in some way. Check out the Bee Mentor overview to understand what this looks like.

STEP 4: EXPANDING YOUR IMPRINT

Every hive needs a healthy habitat! Whether your Bee Club can improve campus conditions or work at a local garden, library, or park system, this is the time to apply what we’ve learned about helping the bees succeed! The “Bee a Friend to Pollinators” lesson plan is a great place to start as a class or Bee Club for establishing habitat.

STEP 5: WELCOME LIVE BEES!

Welcome live bees, part-time bees, or implement visits to a local apiary! Check out our grant program for support in setting up your hive program.

Additional Bee Program Resources

  • Connect with Bee Experts

    If you would like to keep the buzz going, reach out to our friends at The Bee Cause Project for other opportunities to build your bee program such as mentoring between upper and lower grade levels, partnering with a “sister program” to compare bees, or expanding your presence on campus. Find all of these resources and more on The Bee Cause Project’s resources page.

  • Pollinator Mapping

    We love this incredibly fun and detailed “Bee a Friend to Pollinators” educational activity from our partners at The Bee Cause Project. This downloadable, illustrated lesson plan has everything you need to map your neighborhood, observe pollinator activity, and determine areas that might need the most help when supporting bees and other pollinators.

  • Open Educational Resources

    Check out The Bee Cause Project on Open Educational Resources — a public digital library — at oercommons.org.

    Use this quick-start guide (PDF) to create a free account.