Preview & Purchase

Pollination Unit

Fly into the incredible world of honey bees, and discover the vital role they play in pollinating the food we eat!

Uncover the “Four P’s” – the deadly challenges and threats our buzzing pollinator friends face everyday!

Design & engineer your own Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system to help farmers keep our friends – and food supply – safe!

Become part of the pollution solution right now in your schoolyard or backyard on our fun outdoor “field trip”!

$49.99

Pollination Unit - Raiders of the Lost Hive

The Pollination Unit emphasizes the critical roles of pollinators, particularly honey bees, in our agricultural ecosystems.

This unit is divided into 4 lessons, each containing its own video series and lesson plan. You can teach one lesson at a time (e.g., watch the Meet the Boneheads videos and then do the corresponding lesson) or watch all the videos first and then choose the lesson plans that work best for your class. The tools are flexible—use them in the way that best fits your teaching style and your students’ needs.

Intro

Meet the Boneheads! introduces students to the importance of honey bees and pollination. The art lesson plan combines creativity with environmental science to design pollinator-friendly gardens, fostering an understanding of the critical role bees play in agriculture and ecosystems.

Problem

It’s Your Planet Too! explores the threats honey bees face, including pesticides, pests, pathogens, and poor nutrition. Paired with a social justice lesson plan, students will explore how individual and collective actions can influence policy changes to protect pollinators, connecting environmental science with real-world advocacy.

Solution

Think Like Engineers! spotlights Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a way to protect pollinators while maintaining agricultural productivity. And in the engineering & design lesson plan, students will apply creativity and critical thinking to design their own IPM systems, addressing real-world environmental challenges.

Action

You Have the Power! Finally, a music video encourages students to take action by planting pollinator-friendly gardens. Paired with an outdoor activity, students of all grade levels will actively create habitats for pollinators, fostering a deeper appreciation for their role in sustaining ecosystems and agriculture.

Lesson Previews

This dynamic series is crafted to educate students about the crucial role of honey bees in pollination and the challenges they face from environmental threats. Through an animated documentary, enriching discussions, and interactive lessons, students will delve into the life of honey bees, and understand the significance of natural pollinators in agriculture.

Video 1: Raiders of the Lost Hive – Part 1

Join host Bobby Donohue at HOPE Headquarters as he explores the importance of honey bees and agricultural pollination. In this vibrant and engaging animated cartoon parodying the iconic Indiana Jones and The Terminator, children are introduced to the fascinating world of honey bees and the mysterious crisis of their disappearance. The cunning JP Rothbone devises an evil plan to capitalize on the bees’ vanishing act by creating a pollinating robot – The Pollinator – forcing desperate farmers and gardeners to rely on his invention to pollinate the vital crops that comprise a third of our food supply.

Video 2: How Honey Bees Power Agriculture

This video segment delves into how honey bee pollinators are crucial for the production of a vast array of foods, from almonds to zucchini, not to mention the sweet honey they provide. Despite their importance, honey bee populations face significant threats, collectively known as the Four P’s: pesticides, pests, pathogens, and poor nutrition, underscoring the urgency of protecting honey bee habitats and promoting natural pollination processes. The segment also explains the natural process of pollination and how honey bees’ nectar and pollen collection is vital not only for their colonies but for our food diversity as well.

What are some of the challenges honey bees face, and how do these challenges affect their health and survival?

Discuss the potentially positive aspects of a pollinator robot. Could such a robot be used to help honey bees with their jobs rather than replace them?

This art lesson plan engages students in grades 3-5 by combining creativity with environmental science to explore the vital role of honey bees and pollination in agriculture and ecosystems. Through the art of printmaking, students will design and create vibrant gardens that reflect the diversity of flowers essential for supporting pollinators like honey bees, butterflies, and other beneficial species. Tailored to different grade levels, this activity allows younger students to learn about the basic relationships between flowers and pollinators, while older students can explore more complex environmental challenges like the Four P’s (pesticides, pests, pathogens, and poor nutrition) and propose creative solutions through their artwork. By integrating art with science, this lesson not only fosters creativity but also deepens students’ understanding of ecological interdependence and inspires them to take action in protecting pollinators and promoting biodiversity.

Creating:

Students will generate ideas and create multi-layered prints that illustrate the interactions between honey bees and flowering plants. They will develop visual compositions that show the life cycles and interdependent relationships in ecosystems.

Presenting:

Students will organize a small exhibit of their prints, accompanied by written descriptions or labels that detail how their artwork connects to the themes of pollination and ecosystem health.

Responding:

Students will engage in group critiques, analyzing how effectively their peers’ prints communicate the relationships between honey bees and plants. They will connect their observations to scientific principles learned in the lesson.

Connecting:

Students will relate their artwork to real-world challenges and conservation efforts. They will write or discuss how their creative choices highlight specific aspects of honey bee life and ecosystem health.

3-LS1-1 (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes):

Students will explore and represent honey bee life cycles and plant reproductive cycles through their art. Their prints will reflect how these cycles are interconnected and vital for maintaining healthy ecosystems.

3-LS4-3 (Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity):

Students will create prints depicting pollinator-friendly gardens, showcasing which plant species thrive in specific habitats. The activity allows them to make arguments, supported by their art, about how different plants and environments affect honey bee survival.

3-5-ETS1-1 (Engineering Design):

Students will design and print visual solutions for creating pollinator-friendly gardens, demonstrating how art can communicate ideas in engineering. Their projects will incorporate elements like intercropping and diverse plant selection.

4-LS1-1 (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes):

Students will focus their art prints on the structures of plants and pollinators, emphasizing how these features support survival and reproduction. The lesson encourages students to think critically about how these designs function in nature.

5-LS2-1 (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics):

Students will represent the movement of matter and energy in ecosystems by designing prints that show honey bees transferring pollen between plants. This creative exercise will help them visualize and understand the flow of nutrients in an ecosystem.

Grade 3:

Focus on the life cycles of plants and how pollinators affect these cycles. Assess students based on their ability to explain how their chosen plants support the life cycle of pollinators. Enhance learning by having students start a small pollinator garden at school, applying their knowledge practically.

Grade 4:

Concentrate on the ecological roles of the plants in their prints and their interactions with pollinators. Assess understanding through creative descriptions in their gallery walk presentations. Consider extending the project by having students research and report on one plant’s specific impact on pollinator health.

Grade 5:

Dive deeper into the ecosystem interactions depicted in their prints. Assess students on their ability to articulate how different elements within their artwork interact to support a healthy pollinator population. Enhancements could include a project where students design an ideal pollinator habitat based on their research and present their findings to the class.

The “It’s Your Planet Too!” lesson explores the fascinating world of honey bees, emphasizing their critical role in our ecosystem and the challenges they face from the “Four Ps”: pesticides, pests, pathogens, and poor nutrition. This portion combines documentary-style videos with an art lesson plan that helps students express their learning creatively through printmaking. The lesson aims to enhance students’ understanding of biodiversity and the importance of conservation efforts, fostering a sense of responsibility and empowerment to protect our planet.

Video 3: Pesticides, Pests, and Pollinators: A Delicate Balance

This video segment explores how agricultural pest control impacts honey bees, highlighting how pesticides meant to protect crops can harm these vital pollinators. Students will learn about pests like aphids and Varroa mites, and how pesticide exposure weakens bees, disrupting ecosystems and food production. The segment encourages understanding of the delicate balance between agriculture and environmental health.

Video 4: How Pathogens and Poor Nutrition Affect Honey Bees

This video examines how pathogens, such as the Deformed Wing Virus carried by Varroa mites, harm honey bee populations. It highlights how pesticides and poor nutrition weaken bees, making them more vulnerable to disease. Students will explore the challenges bees face and the importance of strategies to protect these vital pollinators.

Video 5: Raiders of the Lost Hive – Part 2

Pa Fossil gives Bonehead the mission details so they can destroy JP’s Pollinator prototype, and stop his plan to eradicate all the honey bees. Unfortunately, Bonehead’s imagination gets the better of him, and he daydreams his own heroic mission, completely oblivious to what Pa Fossil is actually instructing him to do.

How does the decline of honey bee populations impact our environment and food systems? Why are honey bees important for pollination and agriculture?

Why is it essential to have a variety of food sources available for honey bees and other pollinators? How does planting different crops and flowers help?

This social justice lesson plan empowers students to understand the critical role of pollinators in our ecosystems, while examining how human actions, including government policy, can support or harm the environment. Students will explore the importance of honey bees and other pollinators, understand the challenges they face, and evaluate ways society can act to protect them. Through writing and creative expression, students will learn how individual and collective actions, informed by social justice principles, can help advocate for policy changes that support pollinator conservation. The lesson includes grade-appropriate activities that engage students in analyzing real-world environmental issues, advocating for systemic changes, and connecting the importance of pollinators to broader environmental justice themes.

Identity:

Students reflect on how their own choices and advocacy can shape their community and support environmental health. They identify themselves as stewards of pollinators, connecting their identity to larger ecological and social systems.

Diversity:

Students investigate how communities with diverse needs and perspectives work together to protect pollinators. Through discussions, they explore how different viewpoints can contribute to creating policies that support pollinators and sustainable agriculture.

Justice:

Students explore how government policies, such as pesticide regulations or conservation programs, can protect pollinators and ensure fairness for farmers, communities, and ecosystems. They connect the concept of justice to environmental actions that benefit all.

Action:

Students design and share solutions, such as policy ideas or campaigns, that promote pollinator health and environmental sustainability. They practice communicating their ideas to peers and community members to inspire change.

3-LS4-4 (Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity)

Students construct arguments using evidence about how government actions can create or disrupt habitats for pollinators. They explore policies that support sustainable agriculture and conservation efforts, tying them to real-world solutions.

4-ESS3-2 (Earth and Human Activity)

Students learn how government and community actions can reduce the negative impacts of human activities on pollinators. They examine case studies to understand how policies are implemented to safeguard honey bees and their habitats.

5-ESS3-1 (Earth and Human Activity)

Students research and evaluate how government regulations, such as pesticide bans or incentives for pollinator gardens, can positively impact honey bee populations. This standard is met through discussions of how human actions influence environmental systems.

Grade 3:

Third graders should begin recognizing how rules and policies impact the environment, particularly in protecting pollinators. Assess their ability to identify challenges such as habitat loss or pesticide use and brainstorm simple solutions like planting flowers or reducing pesticide use. Encourage students to express their ideas creatively through drawings, short written reflections, or group discussions on how small changes can lead to big environmental improvements.

Grade 4:

Fourth graders should deepen their understanding of how government policies shape environmental outcomes. Evaluate their ability to research pollinator-related issues and propose actionable solutions, such as creating pollinator gardens or advocating for pollinator-safe policies. Teachers can guide students in writing persuasive letters to local officials, designing informative posters, or discussing how laws and advocacy work together to protect pollinators and ecosystems.

Grade 5:

Fifth graders should demonstrate a more advanced understanding of the relationship between government action and environmental sustainability. Assess their ability to analyze environmental problems, propose specific policy solutions, and consider the balance between individual responsibility and collective action. Encourage them to participate in debates, draft detailed advocacy plans, or present their ideas to classmates, highlighting how informed citizens can influence laws and policies to support pollinator conservation.

The “Think Like Engineers” segment of the Pollination Unit introduces students to Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a method that combines science, technology, and engineering to protect pollinators like honey bees. Students engage in a STEAM-based lesson plan, designing their own IPM strategies to reduce harmful pesticide use and promote ecological balance. This lesson encourages creative problem solving and real-world application of classroom knowledge to environmental challenges.

Video 6: IPM: Helping Honey Bees Overcome Pests and Pesticides

This segment introduces Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a holistic approach to protecting honey bees from threats like pesticides, pests, and poor nutrition. It highlights strategies such as natural pest control, intercropping, and beekeeper techniques like screened hives to combat Varroa mites, showcasing IPM as a sustainable solution for pollinator conservation.

Video 7: IPM: Combating Pathogens and Improving Bee Nutrition

This final segment highlights how Integrated Pest Management (IPM) addresses key challenges like the Deformed Wing Virus and poor nutrition in honey bees. By managing Varroa mites and fostering agricultural diversity, IPM strengthens bee health and immune responses, creating thriving environments essential for their survival and role in ecosystems.

Video 8: Raiders of the Lost Hive – Part 3

The Boneheads embark on a mission to save honey bees and restore ecological balance. Despite Bonehead’s distractions with dreams of grandeur, his friends T-Bone and Wishbone help keep him focused. Together, they navigate challenges to protect the bees and ensure the success of their crucial mission.

What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and how does it help protect honey bees and other pollinators from harm?

What are some examples of beneficial insects that can be used in IPM strategies, and how do they help control pests without harming pollinators?

Can you think of any other methods or ideas that could help protect honey bees and support their populations in addition to IPM?

This STEAM-focused engineering lesson engages students in grades 3-5 in designing innovative solutions to protect honey bees and ensure sustainable agricultural practices. By exploring the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), students will learn how to address real-world challenges posed by the Four P’s—pesticides, pests, pathogens, and poor nutrition. Through a hands-on, collaborative approach, students will use science to understand ecological interactions, technology to enhance pest monitoring, engineering to design functional systems, art to communicate their ideas visually, and mathematics to optimize their solutions. This lesson encourages students to think critically, work creatively, and apply interdisciplinary skills to develop IPM systems that balance agricultural needs with pollinator health, fostering a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship and sustainable innovation.

Creating:

Students will develop detailed models or diagrams to illustrate their IPM designs, showcasing multiple integrated strategies for pest management and pollinator protection.

Presenting:

Students will present their dioramas or prototypes, highlighting the interconnected strategies within their IPM systems. They’ll explain the roles of each component in addressing pollination challenges.

Responding:

Students will evaluate peer presentations, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. They’ll ask thoughtful questions to deepen their understanding of different IPM strategies.

Connecting:

Students will explore how their IPM systems reflect real-world challenges and solutions in agriculture. They’ll connect their designs to scientific concepts like ecosystems, biodiversity, and pollination.

3-5 ETS1-1 (Engineering Design):

Students will define a design problem, such as creating an IPM system that addresses the needs of farmers while protecting pollinators. They’ll identify criteria for success (e.g., reducing pesticide harm) and constraints (e.g., keeping costs low), practicing real-world problem-solving skills.

3-5 ETS1-2 (Engineering Design):

Through group collaboration, students will generate multiple potential solutions and evaluate which strategies work best together. For example, they’ll combine intercropping, natural pest controls, and pollinator-friendly practices in their models.

3-5 ETS1-3 (Engineering Design):

Students will construct and test prototypes or dioramas representing their IPM systems. By analyzing and improving their designs, they’ll understand the iterative nature of engineering and its role in addressing ecological challenges.

3-LS4-4 (Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity):

Students will explore how different strategies help organisms survive in varying conditions. For instance, they’ll model how intercropping or introducing beneficial insects can enhance pollinator habitats and crop health.

4-LS1-1 (Structure, Function, and Information Processing):

Students will design solutions that support the survival and behavior of honey bees. For example, their prototypes may incorporate features that address the nutritional needs of bees or the physical barriers that protect them from pests.

5-LS2-1 (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics):

Students will use their IPM system designs to model the flow of matter and energy in ecosystems. They’ll consider how bees transfer pollen to sustain plants, which in turn provide food for other organisms, fostering a broader understanding of ecosystem dynamics.

Science:

Explore the science behind pesticides and their effects on honey bee health. Discuss the biology of pests and beneficial insects, and how different IPM strategies take advantage of this knowledge to control pests while minimizing harm to bees and other beneficial organisms.

Technology:

Investigate the role of technology in IPM, such as using monitoring devices to track pest populations, or applying targeted treatments using precision agriculture tools. Encourage students to consider how technology can help make IPM more effective and efficient.

Engineering:

Emphasize the importance of engineering in designing an entire IPM program to address multiple problems. Encourage students to think about how different strategies can be combined to create a comprehensive system that protects crops and honey bees.

Art:

Introduce the concept of art as a way to communicate ideas within their design group and to the rest of the class. Encourage students to use drawings, diagrams, or other visual aids to help explain their IPM system and demonstrate how the selected strategies will work together. Highlight the importance of clear communication and visual presentation in conveying complex ideas.

Mathematics:

Discuss how math can be used to work out designs for solutions, such as calculating the optimal spacing for intercropping or determining the right amount of a natural pesticide to apply. Encourage students to use math skills to make informed decisions about their IPM system design.

Grade 3:

In Grade 3, teachers can focus on the life cycles of plants and insects, as well as the interdependent relationships in ecosystems. Encourage students to explore the different stages of plant and insect development and how they affect each other. Emphasize the role of honey bees in pollination and how they support the growth of plants. This will help students understand life cycles and interdependence in ecosystems.

Grade 4:

For Grade 4, teachers can concentrate on the structures and functions of plants and animals, as well as the flow of energy in ecosystems. Help students examine how honey bees and other pollinators gather food from plants and how this interaction contributes to the energy flow within an ecosystem. Discuss the importance of plant structures, like flowers, for attracting pollinators, and how pollinators aid in plant reproduction. This approach addresses the structure and function of living organisms and the role of pollinators in plant reproduction.

Grade 5:

In Grade 5, teachers can emphasize the impact of human activity on ecosystems, as well as the idea of systems and system models in engineering. Guide students to understand how the use of pesticides and other agricultural practices can affect honey bee populations and ecosystems. Encourage them to think about how an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system can reduce negative impacts on honey bees and promote a healthier ecosystem. This focus will help students explore human impacts on the environment, as well as engage in the engineering design process to create a solution for a real-world problem.

The “You Have the Power!” segment features a music video and an outdoor activity that empower students to aid pollinators by planting diverse gardens at home or at school. The catchy song “Plant a Garden” encourages organic gardening to support bees, while the lesson plan involves students in hands-on garden creation, fostering environmental stewardship.

Video 9: “Plant a Garden!” Music Video

The “Plant a Garden” song motivates children to support honey bees by cultivating diverse flower gardens. It teaches that such gardens offer vital sustenance for bees, promoting a pesticide-free approach to protect these essential pollinators. Through engaging music, the song encourages kids to take practical, positive steps toward environmental stewardship, demonstrating the impact they can have right in their own outdoor spaces. This uplifting tune is a call to action for young learners to contribute to a healthier planet and a thriving bee population.

How can you, as students, help promote honey bee health and support their populations in your own community?

This outdoor lesson plan invites students to actively engage in creating a pollinator-friendly garden while fostering an appreciation for the critical role pollinators play in ecosystems. Through hands-on activities, students will explore the relationships between plants, pollinators, and their environment, learning how diverse, pesticide-free gardens support pollinator health and biodiversity. Younger students will focus on simple observations and connections, while older students will dive deeper into concepts such as habitat restoration, ecological interdependence, and human impact on the environment. This multifaceted activity empowers students to make meaningful contributions to pollinator conservation while developing age-appropriate knowledge and skills that align with STEAM and environmental education goals.

3-LS4-3 (Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity)

Students will construct arguments using evidence from the garden activity to show how certain pollinators thrive better with diverse floral resources while others may struggle or fail to survive.

4-LS1-1 (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes)

Students will analyze how flowers and pollinators interact through specialized structures, such as petals and nectar guides, to support the survival and reproduction of plants and animals.

5-LS2-1 (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics)

Students will use their garden as a model to demonstrate the movement of matter in ecosystems. They will connect the roles of pollinators in transferring pollen and producing food to the energy flow in ecosystems.

5-ESS3-1 (Earth and Human Activity)

Students will understand how planting pollinator-friendly gardens contributes to environmental stewardship. The activity will highlight how human actions can either harm or protect ecosystems and pollinator populations.

3-5-ETS1-1 (Engineering Design)

Students will define the problem of pollinator habitat loss and create a solution by designing a pollinator-friendly garden. This task integrates creativity and practical applications in habitat restoration.

3-5-ETS1-2 (Engineering Design)

Students will evaluate various garden designs to ensure they meet the needs of pollinators and the ecosystem. They will test and refine their designs based on their observations and research.

Grade 3:

For grade 3 teachers, this outdoor activity can be used to address the NGSS standard 3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat, some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. While visiting the farm or planting the pollinator garden, discuss the concept of habitat and how different organisms depend on their surroundings for survival. Encourage students to observe the various plants and insects in the area, discussing how different pollinators are adapted to their environments. Guide students in understanding that by planting a pollinator-friendly garden, they are helping to create a habitat that supports the survival and well-being of honey bees, bumblebees, and other pollinators.

Grade 4:

For grade 4 teachers, use the field trip to address the NGSS standard 4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. As students plant their pollinator gardens or visit the farm, encourage them to examine the physical structures of various pollinators and plants. Discuss how these structures, such as the proboscis of a butterfly or the flowers' nectar-producing glands, contribute to the survival and reproduction of both the pollinators and plants. Encourage students to consider how creating a pollinator-friendly garden supports the survival and reproductive success of these organisms.

Grade 5:

For grade 5 teachers, this activity can support the NGSS standard 5-LS2-1: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. While at the farm or planting the pollinator garden, engage students in a discussion about the role of pollinators in the movement of matter within ecosystems. Explain how pollinators, such as honey bees, help transfer pollen between flowers, which leads to fertilization and the production of seeds and fruits. Discuss how this process contributes to the flow of energy and matter within the ecosystem, as plants produce food for animals and decomposers break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the environment. Encourage students to observe the interactions between plants, pollinators, and other organisms in the area, and consider how these relationships support the cycling of matter and energy within the ecosystem.

30-Day Money Back Guarantee

I know purchasing a digital product can be a leap of faith.

But I also truly believe Planet Bonehead is amazing.

If it turns out you disagree, just say so within 30 days for a full refund. Here's how.

$49.99