Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering free virtual Buzz into Pollination workshops to help teachers incorporate pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds into classroom instruction. The instruction is appropriate for grades 3 through 8. These virtual two-hour workshops will be offered from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 15.

Participating teachers will receive a curriculum guide with hands-on lesson plans that support the Next Generation Science Standards, making it easy for them to implement pollinator education in the classroom. Teachers will also learn how to build pollinator habitat on their school grounds so students can study life cycles in nature. Pollinator species are important to people and nature.

“People depend on pollination for one-third of our food, and the wind, insects, and other creatures that pollinate are vitally important to human survival,” said Kathi Moore, MDC conservation educator.

MDC is offering this curriculum to teachers as a teaching tool that informs and holds student interest, said Ginger Miller, MDC conservation educator.

“The value to teachers is that they receive knowledge, a free curriculum guide, and several of our printed resources to enrich their classrooms,” Miller said. “Our resources meet science and cross-curricular standards with engaging materials.”

Registration is required for the workshops. To register for the April 12 workshop, visit Buzz into Pollination | MDC Teacher Portal (mo.gov). For the May 15 workshop, visit Buzz into Pollination | MDC Teacher Portal (mo.gov).

For more information, contact Miller at 660-885-8179, ext. 4946, Ginger.Miller@mdc.mo.gov; or contact Moore at 573-248-2530, ext. 6378, Kathi.Moore@mdc.mo.gov.