Every year, Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate the amazing creatures that we rely on to pollinate plants. This year it takes place the week of June 16. 

The most famous pollinators are honeybees, since we enjoy their delicious honey and they're known for their iconic beehives. But there are many animals and insects that are essential for pollination. Sadly, all the pollinators we rely on are all threatened by changing climates, decimated habitats, and harmful pesticides. This not only threatens the flowers and shrubs we see outside, it also poses a risk to the crops we rely on for food. 

During the spring when pollinators are out in full force, it's essential to bring attention to them so that your students can learn to appreciate and support these pollinators in their communities. They'll also need to figure out how to keep pollinators around into the future.

Our new Pollinator Poster activity

We've launched a new activity for grades 2-4 which includes a pollinator poster resource. Print this poster and put it up in your classroom so that students can learn about some of the best pollinators in B.C. and spot them on their walks outside. 

The activity includes steps to turn the poster into an activity or a daily check-in for Pollinator Week, plus lots of background information and helpful resources to help you cover the topic. You can also print out the Pollinator Pledge to encourage every student to protect their favorite pollinator this season.

Purveyors of Pollinator Week 

Here are some other organizations hosting important Pollinator Week content.

• Pollinator Partnership Canada: The Pollinator Partnership website is the premiere spot to find amazing resources to learn about pollinators and take action in your neighborhood. If your class does something special for Pollinator Week, add it to the Pollinator Week Map.
  
  
• Science World: The iconic Science World centre in Vancouver hosts special activities during Pollinator Week. Check it out and consider making a visit if you're in the Lower Mainland
  
  
• Bee City Canada: This website hosts information and resources for Pollinator Week, including their digital Toolkit which you can review online.
  
  

Other helpful resources

Make sure to revisit our class Bee Smart activity (K-3), which features a simple activity to recreate pollination . Then you'll create cute little bees out of egg carton paper and put them together to make your own class hive.

We also have a great blog post about pollinator gardens to show some of the amazing gardening happening at schools in B.C. and to inspire you and your students to do the same in your own spaces.