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Bees and Oysters

 

"The hive is like a body," the visiting beekeeper tells his rapt audience, holding up a honeycomb for all to see. "The queen is the heart." During sessions with our kindergartners and second graders, the beekeeper introduces the boys to the important roles that bees play as pollinators. 

The boys are surprised to learn that a bee sting can have medicinal properties. They then practice separating wax from the honey of the honeycomb, make candles with the beeswax, and taste the fresh honey.

Meanwhile, seventh graders are at the East 90th Street Pier Oyster Restoration site. Monitoring oyster cages can be messy work. Mud, water, and wind converge as the boys move the cages, mount and measure the oysters, survey biodiversity, and test the East River water from which the oysters are drawn. 

But the boys couldn't be more focused or engaged. They are at that exciting intersection of science learning, real life experience, and purpose. After working to restore endangered oyster reefs through the Billion Oyster Project, they continue their learning in science lab where they collaborate in teams to determine the best way to create a biological filter - using gravel, a bottle and an aerator - which will successfully act as an oyster habitat. 

There are multiple designs. Each small group creates a filter and presents their ideas. The boys vote on which tanks they think would work best. 


Two different designs win. Throughout the unit, the boys collect data with precision and conduct data analysis, which, in turn, provides insight on oyster growth, water quality, and trends over time beyond the reef sites.


Bees and Oysters. 

Both are invaluable to our ecosystem. Both provide our boys with opportunities to engage with and learn about the essential roles various species play in our environment. Kindergartners and second graders come to respect and appreciate the myriad contributions of the bee, its anatomy, behavior, beehives, and pollination. 

Through community science in the seventh-grade project, our boys are adding to the research that adds meaningful data and understanding about the oyster reefs in New York Harbor. They are doing good. Furthermore, we know that boys thrive in the learning environments these two experiences demonstrate: they are active and incorporate novelty; and, in the case of the oyster project, feature teamwork and competition.

 

 

 

 

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