Children and Bees
Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit.
Honey bees are also great at the ‘waggle dance’ - a dance that enables them to share information about the best food sources. When the worker returns to the hive, it moves in a figure-of-eight and waggles its body to indicate the direction of the food source.
Children can help provide for bees too while having fun. One great method of this would be making seed bombs to help feed the bee or a Honey Cake to enjoy yourself.
Seed Bomb Recipe
What you will need
- Flour
- Garden Soil
- Native Wild flower Seeds
- Mixing Bowl
- Water
Method
- Mix 10 parts soil to 1 part water
- Add water slowly until the flour and soil mix forms a sticky dough
- Roll the mixture into a golf ball sized ball
- Roll the ball in the wild flower seed mix
- Leave on a plate to dry
- Once dry throw the balls out into the garden
Honey Cake Recipe
What you need
3 Large Eggs
90g Honey
80g Golden Syrup
100g Sugar
240g Flour
12g Bicarb
500g Sour Cream
250g Double Cream
40g Sugar
Vanilla Essence
Method:
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar until fluffy.
- Warm the honey and golden syrup in microwave and fold it into the egg mixture.
- Add the flour and bicarb and mix to make sure there are no lumps of flour (paste like mixture).
- Divide onto 5 trays and bake at 180 deg cel until golden brown. (can be rectangular or round shape)
- Remove and cool, place sheets of sponge in a single pile and gently trim the edges to create a neat pile (1cm off the sides) ensuring you keep the off cuts for the top of the cake. (Blend the off cuts to create crumb like mix)
Filling
- Whisk the sour cream, double cream, vanilla and sugar for approximately 4 minutes on high. Just until the cream is a bit firm and thick.
- Divide into 5 equal portions and top the first layer of sponge with cream, repeat the process of layering on all 5 ensuring equal consistent layering for each layer.
- Sprinkle the blended off cuts over the top layer of cream equally.
- Chill the cake for approx. 12 hours to allow the cream to soak into the sponge.
- Portion and cut as desired.
How to make a bumblebee nest
1. Choose a sheltered spot in your garden that does not get too hot or cold and gets sun for about half a day. Dig a hole deep enough to partially bury your flowerpot.
2. Add dry moss and/or grass to the flowerpot.
3. Half-bury your flowerpot upside down in the hole you have dug. Remember to set it at an angle to reduce the amount of rainwater getting in.