School a hive of activity and practical skills

Hampden School pupils Hannah Burkeand Maihi Harrington (both 8) delve into the life of bees....
Hampden School pupils Hannah Burkeand Maihi Harrington (both 8) delve into the life of bees. Photo: Shannon Gillies.
Hampden School has introduced clubs  including  beekeeping  to give children opportunities to pick up life skills they  can  use as adults.

Principal Matt Bokser said  clubs would include mechanics, carpentry and Japanese  at the 35-pupil school, in  response to a survey conducted in the community for the school’s charter.

The parents loved it when the school ran practical elements within the curriculum, Mr Bokser said.

The school’s size allowed pupils access to one-on-one tutoring from experts in particular fields, a goal much larger school rolls might not be able to reach, he said.

Tutor Kat Bokser said the beekeeping segment was about teaching children sustainability,  about where food comes from, what garden sprays to use, insects, kindness to animals and how to build wasp traps. Maihi Harrington (8) said learning about bees and how colonies worked was fun. Without bees, humans "wouldn’t be able to live".

Hannah Burke (8) said her favourite part of the project was "seeing the bees happy".

If bees were not happy, they could not do their job, she said.

shannon.gillies@odt.co.nz

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