Maximising Biodiversity in Urban Design
Rebecca Vassarotti
A wonderful opening address by Rebecca Vassarotti, the ACT Minister for the Environment and Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction at ‘Planting for Pollinators in Urban Design’ in April 2021.
Rebecca Vassarotti
Contact
The core objectives of the foundation are to: 1. Fund Research & Development 2. Raise Awareness of the importance of bees for food security and ecosystem health. 3. Connect People integral to the cause. VISIT WHEEN BEE FOUNDATION
FOR STUDENTS
Cool Australia Cirriculum Resources
Early Learning
This set of lessons is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.
Primary - Years 5 & 6
The Australian Curriculum aligned “Love Food? Love Bees!” explores the importance of bees and enables students to take real and bee-friendly action in their community.
This unit supports students to inquire into the role of bees in the ecosystem and how they can flourish in their role as pollinators. Students develop an understanding of bees, their role as pollinators, the threats they face and the steps they can take to be bee-friendly. By practising critical and creative thinking, students will be equipped to consider the impact of bees based on social, environmental and economic criteria and will be encouraged to take action around this important issue.
Secondary - Years 9 & 10
This unit supports students to inquire into the relationships between agriculture, food security and bees. Students develop an understanding of bees and how their role as pollinators is pivotal to human food production. They identify how human actions can affect bees and their ability to pollinate our food, and how this is a risk to future food security. Students will use their learning to explore actions they can take to protect bees and other pollinators. By practising critical and creative thinking, students will be equipped to consider the impact of bees based on social, environmental and economic criteria and will be encouraged to take action around this important issue.
FOR EDUCATORS
Love Food? Love Seeds!
Cool Australia Curriculum Resources
Early Learning is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.
Love Food? Love Bees!
Years 5 and 6 supports students to inquire into the role of bees in the ecosystem and how they can flourish in their role as pollinators.
Love Food? Love Bees!
Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Years 9 and 10 support students to inquire into the relationships between agriculture, food security and bees. Students develop an understanding of bees and how their role as pollinators is pivotal to human food production.
JOIN US
Monthly meetup in Canberra
Join us on the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm with a shared meal and meeting at 7pm. We are focused on creating a 'Bee Friendly Canberra' and welcome new members joing us. Please complete the contact form below for details.
Contact form
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Educational resources for everyone
Educators
The Australian Curriculum aligned “Love Food? Love Bees!” units explore the importance of bees and enables students to take real and bee-friendly action in their community.
Love Food? Love Seeds! Early Learning is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.
Love Food? Love Bees! Years 5 & 6 supports students to inquire into the role of bees in the ecosystem and how they can flourish in their role as pollinators.
Love Food? Love Bees! Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Years 9 & 10 support students to inquire into the relationships between agriculture, food security and bees. Students develop an understanding of bees and how their role as pollinators is pivotal to human food production.
Students
Our Digital Libraries are perfect for remote learning and home schooling. These are all designed to entertain and inform at every turn.
The toolbox is divided into Early Learning, Primary and Secondary levels and is brilliant for projects, research and further learning.
Community
Local Government, Sustainability Officers, Land Developers, Landscape Designers and Community groups and Individuas
Investigating native bees: Yr 5/6 Australian curriculum aligned units focussing on Australian native bees https://www.coolaustralia.org/love-food-love-bees-curriculum-resources/
Link to coolaustralia
Secondary - Years 9 & 10
This unit supports students to inquire into the relationships between agriculture, food security and bees. Students develop an understanding of bees and how their role as pollinators is pivotal to human food production. They identify how human actions can affect bees and their ability to pollinate our food, and how this is a risk to future food security. Students will use their learning to explore actions they can take to protect bees and other pollinators. By practising critical and creative thinking, students will be equipped to consider the impact of bees based on social, environmental and economic criteria and will be encouraged to take action around this important issue.
Update all content
English, Science
This tuning-in lesson introduces the topic of bees through a ‘Stand on the Line’ activity, wherein students consider a number of statements and justify their opinion.
Being observant
Science
Students are connected to the wonder of bees by observing them interacting with plants in their schoolyard and in their gardens.
Being Mindful
Health, Science
This mindfulness activity is designed to connect students to their local environment while teaching awareness of posture, breathing, relaxation and concentration.
Investigating Native Bees
Health, Science
This mindfulness activity is designed to connect students to their local environment while teaching awareness of posture, breathing, relaxation and concentration.
More items to be listed here
Health, Science
This mindfulness activity is designed to connect students to their local environment while teaching awareness of posture, breathing, relaxation and concentration.
Being curious
English, Science
This tuning-in lesson introduces the topic of bees through a ‘Stand on the Line’ activity, wherein students consider a number of statements and justify their opinion.
Being observant
Science
Students are connected to the wonder of bees by observing them interacting with plants in their schoolyard and in their gardens.
Being Mindful
Health, Science
This mindfulness activity is designed to connect students to their local environment while teaching awareness of posture, breathing, relaxation and concentration.
Investigating Native Bees
Health, Science
This mindfulness activity is designed to connect students to their local environment while teaching awareness of posture, breathing, relaxation and concentration.
More items to be listed here
Health, Science
This mindfulness activity is designed to connect students to their local environment while teaching awareness of posture, breathing, relaxation and concentration.
Cool Australia Cirriculum Resources
Love Food? Love Bees!
Each lesson contains hands-on activities, tips, content information, assessment ideas, engaging videos and a range of other tools that support teachers to navigate this unit. There is also a digital library that has a load of fun and entertaining bee information. There are also a great range of resources in the Cool Australia Toolbox to use in the classroom too.
Early Learning
This set of lessons is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.
Provide an ideal pollinator-friendly habitat, including:
ACT for Bees & Other Pollinators
Planting List for the Canberra Region
The Urban Planting Calendar for the ACT has been produced by ACT for Bees and the ACT Government to implement strategic planting to support bees and other beneficial insects and birds with a diverse range of foraging opportunities across the city and wider landscape.
For more information and resources on ‘Planting for Pollinators in Urban Design, go to this page . Experts in this presented at a conference at Ginninderry development in West Belconnen.
Bee Curriculums For Classrooms
- We have partnered with ‘Cool Australia- Learn for Life‘ to create an exciting ‘Love Food? Love Bees!‘ curriculums for Early Childhood, years 5/6 and High School as well. They can be downloaded from the Cool Australia website and taken straight into the classroom & also practically outside in the garden! We love the way Cool Australia curriculums are easy to use, focussed on sustainability and empower students to take action for the good of the world. Check out these curriculum materials through our website.
- March 2022. We’ve just received a report from Cool Australia about the reach of the ‘Love Food? Love Bees!’ education material since August 2016, >500,000 students have participated in this program Australia wide! We’ve just added a unit on Australian native bees to the Year 5/6 curriculum which has already had very positive reviews from teachers.Well worth using in spring when the native bees emerge again.
- Check the FREE resources out and find out why they are one of Cool Australia’s top performing resources.
TAKE THE TIME
to volunteer with us or have us talk at your school or community group
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge and appreciate the support of the Canberra Environment Centre over the years and in particular their willingness to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with ACT for Bees. We have collaborated on creating ‘Bee and Pollinator Friendly Gardens’ workshops for many years, built bee hotels and planted for pollinators in the Canberra Environment Centre’s grounds. We very much appreciate this ongoing collaboration and being able to hold our monthly meetings at such a central site. We’ve a number of exciting workshops planned for the next 6 months.
We also wish to acknowledge and appreciate the support of the Rotary Club of Hall over many years. We were vey grateful for their recent grant for new collateral for public events including 3 new pull up banners, a backdrop for our marquee and new tablecloths and printing costs.
We have also had an ongoing and positive collaboration with Landcare ACT through running workshops and events together and appreciate their focus on planting for pollinators and local species in their choice of plants.
Bee Friendly Hall Village
Hall Village, the first ‘Bee Friendly Village’ in Australia, has created a ‘Bee Friendly Community’ Charter.
The community of Hall Village and district are committed to embracing bee friendly practices for the benefit of biodiversity, public health, water and soil health. They establish and maintain plantings of pollinator safe habitat in public spaces and in our gardens. Would your community like to use this as a basis for a ‘Bee Friendly Community’ in your region? Learn more about the Hall Village Community Charter.
Upcoming Events & Worshops
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share our planting guides and curriculum resources with your community, family and friends
JOIN US
Monthly meetup in Canberra
Join us on the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm with a shared meal and meeting at 7pm. We are focused on creating a 'Bee Friendly Canberra' and welcome new members joing us. Please complete the contact form below for details.
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