VISIT TO AN APIARY

Goals:

• To get to know the man-environment relationship
  
• To learn about the bee-keeper's work
  
• To learn about life inside the beehive
  
• To understand the phases in the production of honey
  
• To put the bee-keeper's work in historical context
  

Educational Activity: visiting the apiary

A visit to an apiary is a significant experience for students to observe directly the work of making honey.
It's a good idea to prepare the visit carefully in order to interest the children and create the expectations that transform an outing into a scientific activity. To this end it's important that the children be well informed about bees, honey and apiculture, by

reading not only schoolbooks, but also specialised texts and web-sites.
After the documentation phase, the class should prepare a number of questions to ask the bee-keeper concerning various aspects of his job, so that they can carry out a proper interview.