Just buzzing around...

Two summers ago, I was staying at my mum's house and since she was out of town, I had the Whirlpool all to myself. I filled it part of the way up, dropped in some natural bubble bath, and hit play on Netflix for a movie called "The Vanishing of the Bees." I'd heard in casual conversation or overseen snippets of information about bees dying and how bees play a major role in growing food, but it really didn't sink in. The documentary changed my life.

I had never really thought much about pollination or how it worked, but learning that bees are responsible for pollinating somewhere around 80% of all flowering plants really hit home. I love flowers. I love plants. Lots of plants that flower turn into fruits and veggies. I love to eat! WHY ARE THE BEES DYING?

Ok, so I went into a bit of a panic mode and started buying all sorts of wildflower seeds, which I proceeded to sprinkle liberally around the neighborhood. Ok, that's a start. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Vegas and got my first teaching job. For the last two years, I've made sure to include at least one day of my insect unit to focus on bees. I quickly found that my students had a natural dislike for bees simply because bees sting. I don't know for sure if my lessons have inspired my students to literally save the bees, but as of last week's "Bee Day" lesson, their opinion changed from "I hate bees. They will sting me" to "Bees will only bother you if you bother them. We need bees so we can have fruits and vegetables" and that makes me feel like I've made a few good moves (especially since the insect unit followed the plants and food pyramid units in which my kiddos got to explore lots of naturally-produced foods).

I found Tees for Bees just in time for my Bee Day lesson. Founder, Kelly, left a company that didn't share her values and went on to start a business that supports the natural world! She's created some super fun tees and donate 10% of profits to bee-saving efforts! I loved the vintage colour combo of this tee and actually wore it with black jeans and a blazer for a more dressed up work look, but threw on a pair of flared jeans and opted for a 1970s-inspired look in a location that perfectly matched the tee itself. Even better, I can attest that there was at least one bee buzzing around as I took these photos and I did not swat at it, but said "hello" and watched it drone out to sample the desert wildflowers!