Bee a Pollinator Star
Something new is buzzing at the May Arboretum!
Starting in 2025, the Wilbur D. May Arboretum, in conjunction with The May Arboretum Society, are piloting a brand new program. The Bee A Pollinator Star Program (BAPS) exists to reach students of Washoe County with fundamental, hands-on pollinator education. BAPS intends to help local teachers meet critical Nevada state science learning objectives through pivotal experiences delivered to their classroom.
This year, we are partnering with one local elementary school to teach their 3rd graders about pollinators. In future years, we hope to expand our reach to multiple schools in WCSD. Want in on the action? Email hhill@washoecounty.gov.
What to expect:
- In the months of January, February, and March, an educator will visit the classroom to lead a hands-on lesson with students for approximately 1.5 hours.
- In the month of April, students will visit the Arboretum for a tour, activity, and craft.
- In the month of May, the educator will return to help the classroom plant native flowers at the school and host a celebration that designates each student as a pollinator steward
What students will learn:
BAPS aims to address grade-specific learning standards. For third grade class this could include the following
- 3-LS1-1- Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
- 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.
- 3-LS4-4- Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
The May Arboretum Society is in search of community partners to help provide this program to local students at no cost to the schools.