Selwyn Ridge ‘the place to bee'

Looking forward to selling their wares at the upcoming school fair are Selwyn Ridge School students Emily Orr, Taylan Russell, Hannah Delo, Jack Campbell and Rocco Luke.

Gone are the days when school fairs were all about fundraising for the school and bobbing for apples.

While fund-raising is still on the agenda, Selwyn Ridge School's upcoming Mid-Winter Christmas Fair on July 1 is an opportunity to celebrate culture, communities and connections – the subject of the school's conceptual curriculum learning this term.

There will be all the usual fun at the fair, including rides, raffles and food, but there will also be products made and marketed by the children themselves, with funds raised going towards a project of their choice in the community.

Junior children in Room 12 have created their own artworks, with proceeds from sales going to the Tauranga Foodbank.

Area 56, a combined Year 4-5 class, has gone a step further and set up its own business called ‘A Place to Bee'.

In teams, the budding entrepreneurs are making and selling their own lip balm, itchy bite relief cream, honey bubble bath, throat lozenges, beeswax food wraps and wildflower seed bombs.

They have also designed and made their own packaging and written scripts for radio and television advertisements. The business also has its own Facebook page to accept orders.

Zenda Johns from Mossop's Honey kick-started interest with a visit to the class to talk about bees and honey production.

'These kids just couldn't get enough. There were 54 of them on the mat just listening in silence, taking it all in and asking really good questions,” says teacher Charlotte de Jong.

The project, chosen because bees live in communities just like we do, has allowed students to lead and take ownership of their own learning, she says.

'The teamwork is massive. They're learning how to work in a group and about roles and responsibilities within their communities.

On the day of the fair the ‘beebassadors' will also be handing out information sheets about bees to share their learning with the community. They hope to raise enough funds to purchase a beehive for the school.

The Selwyn Ridge School Mid-Winter Christmas Fair is on Saturday, July 1 from 11am-3pm at 20 Holmburn St, Welcome Bay.

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