One of my goals as a parent is to teach my children to love nature and be good steward of the earth. Every spring, we plant a small garden in our backyard full of veggies and flowers. We love to learn about the different plants and how we can help them grow. One of our favorite things to learn about are all the little bugs that visit our garden!
The bee population is on the decline worldwide, and we need these little pollinators to have a healthy planet. Part of the reason for their decline is the lack of a proper habitat. We made bee houses for solitary bees that don’t live in hives. It’s a great way to teach little ones about nature, recycling, and sustainability. We created these houses with materials that were already around the house—no trips to the store necessary!
Check out the materials and directions below!
Here’s the material list and directions for these fun and easy bee houses!
Materials:
- Aluminum cans
- String
- Paper
- Hammer and a nail
- Optional spray paint/paint pens to decorate
Directions:
1. After you’ve washed your empty aluminum cans, use the hammer and nail to poke a hole in the bottom of the can. This will make it easier to hang you can with the string.
2. We chose to decorate our bee houses! I used outdoor spray paint in bright, spring colors. The bright colors can attract bees to the houses. After the spray paint fully dries, use paint pens to draw on a fun design. Get creative! This was our favorite part!
3. Put your string or twine through the hole and through the can. Tie in a knot to make a loop.
4. Cut paper into the length of the can. We used brown paper bags for this part! Roll the paper into tubes and place in the can. There should be enough rolls for them to fit snugly without falling out.
5. Now find a good spot to hang your bee house! Some great places to put them are in a flower bed, in your vegetable garden, hanging in a tree, or in a bush.
I hope you enjoy this spring time activity with your kids! Happy gardening!