Bee-centered incursions for early years – We bring our bees to you

Castlemaine Bee Sanctuary will come to you and present all about the magic of bees using a live bee colony fully contained inside an observation hive. We teach children about bees and natural beekeeping in this unique fun and exciting format.

Pollinating insects are vital to the ongoing health of our planet. Our incursions are an excellent way to introduce children to the natural world and how they are connected to it. We help you cover many areas of the Early Year’s framework. Meanwhile, the children will never forget what they have seen and will talk about their experience for days afterward. We promise – the excitement felt during these presentations is palpable.

Topics we cover

We have designed our incursions around the following topics answering the children’s questions and comments along the way. We are also happy to adapt the topics to your individual requirements.

The waggle dance – how bees dance to communicate. This is our fun opportunity for the children to get up and move like a bee!

The senses – smelling, hearing and seeing the beehive. There may be a chance to taste the honey and/or honeycomb if available.

Who’s in the hive – approximately 50,000 bees live inside a standard healthy beehive but it’s not just bees that live there. There are also thousands of other creatures that make up the ecosystem that is a bee colony. A guessing game can be used to expand the children’s understanding of this.

Humans and the hives – about honey, wax, propolis, pollen, and nectar. How the bees pollinate our plants and help our environment. Beekeeper tools and equipment. How children can safely observe bees in their own garden.

All of these are tailored for younger children, presented in a fun and playful way.

Helping meet the early learning and development framework

We focus on Outcomes 2 and 3 of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework.

Outcome 2: Children are connected with, and contribute to their world

We show how bees are connected to each other and to the ecosystem. We connect these to the daily experience of young children. We show how bees help gardens, produce honey and wax, and what they need to be healthy.

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

We bring fun and excitement into the kindergarten classroom. Imagine – if bees can do what they do – what can the children do next?

We are showing the beauty of the natural world. The children will see and smell a beehive. They will be inspired to see a thriving honeybee colony in action.

Other standards/curriculum

We are very interested in working with you to ensure our incursions meet any other curriculum/outcome standards you use.

As natural, bee-centric beekeepers – why we are unique

Castlemaine Bee Sanctuary has been rescuing honeybees in Castlemaine, Central Victoria, Australia since 2013. We catch and lure swarms of honeybees and remove wild colonies that otherwise may have been poisoned. These bees are then re-homed in responsibly managed hives, adopted out to hosts within the community, and used to help people learn how to become apicentric beekeepers.

At Castlemaine Bee Sanctuary we are committed to apicentric beekeeping. We take minimal interventions in the life cycle of these creatures. We don’t prioritise honey collection, but rather the happiness of the bees. Our ten years of natural beekeeping experience has given us a unique approach to beekeeping and bee education.

The investment (costs)

Investment – each session is 45-60 minutes depending on your timetabling requirements.

$540 for one session.

$250 for each subsequent session.

Travel costs of $1 per km will apply (driving distance from Castlemaine, Victoria).

Numbers are limited to one class (approximately 26 students) per session, to enable maximum participation.