Kids and Bees in Illinois
The Kids and Bees event in Schaumberg, IL, as part of January’s American Beekeeping Federation’s Conference and Tradeshow, was my eighth go-round with this program. Every year the event has a different flair, a different feeling, a different set of challenges, and a different set of adorable and humbling moments.
I remember my first event, in Hershey, PA, well. Not only because of the mile I had to walk from my room to the conference space, and the giant candy bars on my pillow every night, but because this was the last Kids and Bees event that would be coordinated by founder Kim Lehman. This was the year that Kim graciously placed the program in my hands with so much trust, encouragement, and faith. She was encouraged by my enthusiasm and vigor, and I’ve done everything I can every year since to not let her down.
The next year, in Baton Rouge, LA, I went for gold and the wheels flew right off! I more than tripled the attendance list of the event and didn’t account for the increase of volunteers I would need to handle that amount of kids at their stations. As 360+ kids (plus their parents and teachers) poured through the doors, glorious madness ensued. A tide of squeals and giggles enveloped my tables. Volunteers sent runners for help to the trade showroom floor, pulling friends from their booths and out of conversations to come help kids roll candles, taste honey, and dress in bee costumes. My volunteer at the headband table had a complete meltdown and started packing away supplies (mid-event) while in tears. Some volunteers never talked to me again, others were bonded for life, as we had just overcome a great feat together.
The next year, at Disneyland, I found a beautiful balance of plentiful volunteers and a new registration system, where groups were timed and limited, and the wheels stayed on the event. I also have to give extra props to the lovely humans at the resort who were a dream to work with. The Disney magic was strong that year, and the kids and volunteers had an equally wonderful time. This year I was tagged on Instagram by an attendee of 2015’s Kids and Bees who credited her experience here in being a part of her journey into becoming a teen community leader and sustainable agriculture activist. Yes, TEENAGER! This wee little kidlet is now a teenager, with her own killer Instagram account!!
The next few years in Florida, Texas, Nevada, and South Carolina saw more growth and more learning. I hired an assistant here at the Bee Girl organization to help me wade through all of our kid’s programs. We added more stations, deepened the scientific learning outcomes, and worked on our volunteer recruiting and training strategies.
One remarkable note is the increasing amount of adults that have come to Kids and Bees over the years. Volunteer recruitment has gotten smoother and more predictable. Also, the amount of adults that stop in to take notes for their own programs has grown exponentially. This year saw a record 169 “big kids” come through the event in Schaumberg, busily taking photos and videos, and asking me for advice and thoughts for their own classroom presentations, state fair booths, etc. I make exceptionally clear that everything in the room is open source and nothing would make me happier than people borrowing, and improving upon my ideas. A young researcher from Tufts University volunteered a few years ago and came away with an idea to build an ingenious UV lightbox and donated it to her local botanical garden’s education center.
I already have my sights on 2021 in Las Vegas. I’ve begun to collaborate with a local art teacher to work on a student hive design project, and am on the search for potential local partners to help us teach kids about sustainable agriculture and planting for bees. For those of you who know how I dedicate my time (when not working on Kids and Bees), it won’t be a surprise that I am also dreaming up an observational worm bin to snuggle up next to the observational beehive. I’m also dreaming up a couple of virtual beekeeping experiences for the kids that I hope they’ll love.
A GIANT thank you to the support of all of the volunteers, including the honey queens and honey princesses, who made it possible to reach so many kids in Illinois this year, as well as the Foundation for the Preservation for Honey Bees for sponsoring the event!! Also, thank you to Mann Lake and GloryBee for donating materials and supplies to the event. Your generosity with time, talent, and dollars makes it possible to offer this event to the community at no cost.
For more pictures of the 2020 Kids and Bees event at ABF, click here.
If you are already excited to volunteer at ABF’s 2021 Kids and Bees in Vegas, get your name on the list by emailing thehive@beegirl.org.
