Ohio Students Busy as Bees

With bees in decline across Ohio and beyond, a group of 5th graders is learning how hands-on science can help—one bee house at a time. As part of a project-based learning initiative at the Old Woman Creek Reserve, students at the Ranger High Tech Academy, a local STEAM school, planted a pollinator garden with seeds collected from the Reserve and student-designed bee houses to provide nesting habitat.

“While seed removal is typically discouraged at the Reserve because we are also a state nature preserve, our landscaped front garden is used for educational programming,” says Jen Bucheit, the Reserve’s education coordinator. “The school’s idea to start a pollinator garden on its own land using seeds from the Reserve was an opportunity to support a student-led learning project while protecting sensitive natural areas.”

The project began two years ago, with seed collection and planting. This year, students designed and built bee houses for solitary species—bees that don’t form hives—using sustainable materials, including for nesting tubes made from invasive phragmites.

“This is what project-based learning is all about,” Bucheit continues. “The students pitched their prototypes, refined their designs, and thought critically about materials and purpose. And now they’re building something that benefits the ecosystem.”

It’s also, she observes, a creative way to rethink habitat restoration as it both removes a harmful species and uses it to support native pollinators.” (Editor’s note: We’ve written about other surprising uses for and benefits of invasive phragmites.)

“In an area where green space is primarily agricultural land and much of the lakefront is privately owned, the Old Woman Creek Reserve offers schools direct, public access to Lake Erie’s shoreline and hands-on programs that facilitate nature-based learning,” says Rebecca Roth, NERRA’s executive director.

Thanks to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which helped offset transportation costs for schools, more than 2,500 students were able to participate in Reserve education programs last year. Part of the draw is the Reserve’s ability to connect students at any grade level with a project-based experience, informed by experts on the Reserve staff and flexible enough to meet teacher’s content needs.

“The Reserve staff are incredibly knowledgeable about the local ecosystem and have a wonderful ability to connect with learners through their educational programming,” says Rebecca Carbone, a teacher who worked on the project. “The students enjoyed the hands-on project and are growing as thoughtful stewards of the environment. We hope these ideas will continue to take root and grow with each new class.” 

The project ended with a return to the Reserve to install some of their bee houses in the Reserve’s pollinator space—bringing their year of learning full circle.