As part of our Pollinating the Levels awareness programme, we joined forces with artist Tom Maloney and five schools in Newport. Pupils took part in a series of video challenges about bees, made solitary bee houses to boost local populations and took part in creative writing workshops.
In addition, the Living Levels Community Engagement Officer, Gavin Jones, delivered three Battle of the Shrill carder bees sessions with Gaer primary school, Glasllwch primary school and Tredegar Park primary. Battle of the Shrill carder bees is an interactive game which involves a group audition process via ‘Bees Got Talent’ and ‘The ‘B’ Factor’ (with teachers acting as judges!). This is followed by the kids dressing up as bees and partaking in an obstacle course which simulates the bees’ daily ‘battle’ and journey from flower to flower. This helps them to understand the process of pollination and the workings of a colony. At the end of the game they write personal pledges stating how they intend to help bees thrive in the future.
A display of what they learnt over the course of this project is now up at the Riverfront theatre in Newport for the summer holidays so feel free to drop in and see what they’ve been up to!