On January 23, 2020 I took part in the Thomas C. Armstrong Wayne Middle School PTO Science Now! expo. An evening of interactive demo and hands on learning experiences for the kids, and no kidding, the big kids, too! Even moms and dads, big brothers and sisters engaged themselves in the wonders of beeswax and honey.
Many tables filled the cafeteria, each representing a business where STEM & STEAM can be found. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. While STEAM includes art. There was virtual reality, plastic molding and silicone demonstrations, the Rochester Museum and Science center even had a spot. I was parked between the DEC, think deer decoy and a remote controlled wagging tail, and Intergrow - the indoor greenhouse which emits that eerie glow towards the sky in the evenings. On those foggy nights…well, eerie doesn’t seem to be fitting for the supernatural scenery that is created. Actually, the nice young man that headed the table for Intergrow and I had some good conversation regarding the bumblebees they use for indoor pollinating.
The evening was buzzing with eager and excited children and their parents. All here to learn how STEM & STEAM can be found in businesses in and around the community. My 2 tables had 4 demonstrations or activities for the visitors to enjoy.
They could learn the why, what and how about bees and their products of the hive. There was a frame of used drawn comb, a jar of crushed comb and some honey, crushed comb that had been given back to the bees to cleanup, a round of rendered beeswax and several of my products that had been made from the beeswax. The hands on items helped attendees understand how a frame of beeswax can be turned into a candle, hard lotion bar, lip balm or beeswax wrap for your sandwiches.
They could also try on beekeepers gear. There was a tote full of veils in all styles, gloves, a couple pullover vests and even a couple jackets. They could puff the (empty) smoker and feel the bristles of the bee brush that is used to gently brush the bees from frames, or yourself.
Many enjoyed the honey tasting station. I brought 6 varieties of honey to taste. Our local honey in summer and fall. Maine blueberry honey. Washington buckwheat. Patagonia rainforest honey and the newest edition to the tasting table, African Forest honey. So many people were surprised that honey could taste so different or that there was actually different types of honey. Yes, there are! Forty of them are on the tasting table right in my store in the village of Webster waiting for you to have a taste.
However, I think the most popular activity was Can you Spot the Queen? I had some large visual posters by Hilary Kearny, at the Girl Next Door Honey. She takes some amazing photos and turns them into useful tools for teaching about bees. These were specifically about searching for the queen bee. If you could find her in a given time you won a bee pin or honey stick. The bee pins were almost gone by the end of the evening! Everyone loved the honey sticks, too!
I think we all enjoyed ourselves; talking about bees, tasting local honey and far away honey, too! I’m looking forward to the next Science Expo!
If you have a group or event and would like to learn about the products of the hive, send me a message or give me call!
