Food Different by Design - No Bees No Future

Due to current COVID restrictions in NSW our normal incursion program is being offered as one hour virtual excursions for schools.

This involves a 45-50 minute learning program and a 10 minute Q and A and exit ticket task.

The program is delivered via Zoom and all materials required by students are shared using the Google Suite tools.

The program has been modified to allow students to use soil from their back yard.

A pre-learning task is provided to teachers for use in the week prior to our delivery.

Workshop Cost: $60/hour.

Maximum of 30 students

Discounts apply for multiple class bookings

To book a workshop contact us at

E: richmondagcollege-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Workshop 1

Bees and Food Security

Students will be introduced to and discuss Australian Agriculture and the significance of bees to our future food and fibre security. They will also focus on understanding the process of pollination, and how a bee’s anatomy has evolved for this purpose.

Workshop 2

Bee Detectives and Citizen Scientists

Students will become a Bee Detective and discover the large number and variety of Australian native bees, where they live, and their importance to the future of Australian Agriculture. Learn how you can become a Citizen Scientist and add to the growing data of Australian native bees and pollinators in your area.

Workshop 3

Soil Science

Having the correct soil pH is essential to ensure that plants are able to absorb essential nutrients from the soil. Different soil pH supports the diverse Australian flora as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables grown at home, school or commercially. It is important to match plants being grown to the pH of your soil, or to change the soil’s pH to match the plants you want to grow.

Workshop 4

Bee Communication

Think about all the many ways that we communicate with each other in our day to day lives in contemporary society. Can a bee text or SnapChat their friends in the hive to share information about the best place to find nectar and pollen? Learn how clever bees are in their communication techniques, and what role the sun and the degrees of a compass play in this.

Workshop 5

Bee Maths

Learn that bees are mathematical geniuses! How did they decide on the best shape to use for the honeycomb capsules they use in their hives? Investigate tessellation and build 3D prisms to make your own hive. Discover how bees use algorithms to help them solve the Travelling Salesperson Problem to find the shortest distance between nectar-sources.

Workshop 6

A world without bees?

Explore the role bees play in our everyday lives. Students will take a deeper dive into the importance of bees (native and honey) and other pollinators in our everyday lives. They will also look at some of the research being undertaken about the possible roles of native bees in food production.

Workshop 7

Bee Warriors

Listen to the history of the Humble Bee, from the time of their evolution to all the issues they are faced with in the present day. Consider the importance of their role as pollinators, and each of these current plights. You will design three different creative visual communications to advertise some or all of these plights to your local community, including ways people can help to overcome them.