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Angelo L. Tomaso Students Learn About Bees

Students participated in a unique lesson on life in a honeybee hive. They assumed roles of different bees with beekeeper Clifford Sunflower.

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From Warren Township Schools: Third graders at Angelo L. Tomaso School recently buzzed with activity during a unique lesson on life in a honeybee hive, as they assumed the roles of worker bee, nurse bee, honeybee larvae and, of course, the Queen bee, with the help of master beekeeper and storyteller Clifford Sunflower.

Third graders at ALT act out the roles of a honey bee colony during “Dancin’ with the Honey Bees,” an entertaining and educational science assembly performed by Clifford Sunflower of the Pennsylvania-based Bear Honey Farms. From left, Sienna Da Silva, Stephen Prisco, Lindsey Meslow, Demiana Doss, Keira Moran, Anderson Tran, and Peyton Kalfus.

“This is where the magic happens,” said Sunflower, as he brought his interactive science assembly, “Dancin’ with the Honeybees,” to ALT on June 7. “And the magic word is metamorphosis.”

From left, Junqi Zhang, Peyton Kalfus, Connor Pucci, Rayhan Ansarri and Clara Risso are among the 3rd graders exploring life in a honey bee hive with master beekeeper and science educator Clifford Sunflower on June 7

There were smiles and giggles as Sunflower instructed the student “honeybees” to wag their antenna, lay eggs, feed the recently hatched “larvae” and take on other tasks to make the honeybee hive run smoothly. The science educator has more than 25 years as a beekeeper and, with his wife, Lois, owns Bear Honey Farms in Pennsylvania. Also on hand at the assembly was a 7 station “Bee Touch Me Museum” that included information on bee identification, beeswax, honey production and other fun honeybee facts.

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- From left, ALT 3rd graders Junqi Zhang, Juliette Manzo, teacher Deanna DeRoner, Rayhan Ansari, Connor Pucci, and Clara Risso mimic honey bee larvae eager to be fed under the instruction of master beekeeper Clifford Sunflower.
ALT 3rd grader Sienna Da Silver (center) is the Queen honey bee surrounded by loyal subjects (Nicholas Micheludis, Joy-Anna Wang and Lindsey Meslow, among them) in a mock honey bee hive as part of a unique science assembly at ALT on June 7.

Photos courtesy of Warren Township Schools

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