Making new pollinator friends at John Muir Elementary

May 22, 2026, John Muir Elementary held their annual Explorations Day. I represented the Washington Native Bee Society, for which I am a member of their board. The students at the school partook in various demonstrations and explorations, including skateboarding skills, capeoria. Beacon Food Forest guided students to replant a couple raised beds. My task for the day was to help children and their teacher discover more about bees and other pollinators.

We accomplished a lot in two hours. Students found out the bees have five eyes, carry pollen from flower to flower and drink nectar. We looked inside of flowers. We found tiny flowers on the lawn and saw bees there. "Bees!", the children exclaimed when they saw them. We looked at many images of bees and some wasps. They found that wasp come sometimes be pollinators.

We wrapped up the day with an attempt to imagine what a pollinator plot on the grounds may look like. As you can probably guess, the drawings are rudimentary and ones to be cherished.

Flying Tongue Pictures is very happy to see this type of pollinator advocacy in Seattle. Love of bugs and other crawly things can lead to a life of treasured discoveries.