June 20-26, 2016, is National Pollinator Week. This week was first designated by the U.S. Senate in 2007 to help bring awareness to the decline in population of pollinators, which are vital to our food supply. Here's a fun and easy way to show your kids how pollinators do their jobs.
POLLINATION STATION
POLLINATION STATION
Help your child understand just how pollination works with this fun activity!
What you need:
Juice boxes
Paper plates
Foam or paper flower cut outs
Cheese puffs
What you do:
1. Put the straw in the juice box and place a cut out flower (with hole in the middle) over the straw or on the side of juice box (represents the flower and nectar).
2. Next place cheese puffs around the box to represent the pollen.
3. Have the child drink the juice through the straw while it is still sitting on the plate At the same time, have them rub their fingers on the cheese puffs.
4. Remind them that they look like a butterfly drinking the nectar and collecting the pollen. Have them look at their fingers and how they are orange from the pollen.
5. Explain how the butterfly will go to the next flower and leave some of that pollen there and pick up more.
