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June: Celebrate National Pollinators Week
Activity Type
Outdoor pollinator observation activity
Topic
Pollinators, insects, biodiversity, plants
Audience
Children, Teens, Adults, Families, Intergenerational groups
Location
Outdoors
Materials
Internet-connected smartphone or tablet, flowering plants, timer, optional printed data sheets, pencils, and pollinator identification resources
Low Tech Options
Participants can use printed data sheets to record their pollinator observations and enter their data online afterward
Program Description
Celebrate National Pollinator Week with a Pollinator Palooza!
Bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, and other pollinators play an important role in healthy ecosystems and our food supply. During this outdoor program, participants will slow down, watch a flowering plant, and discover just how much activity is happening around them.
Using The Great Sunflower Project, participants observe a flowering plant and count the pollinators that visit during a timed observation. These observations help researchers better understand where pollinators are found and where they may be struggling.
Host your Pollinator Palooza in a library garden, nearby park, community garden, or anywhere with flowering plants. No sunflower is required, and no prior experience identifying pollinators is needed!
Prep & Flow based on a 1 hour event
Prep:
5 min – Review The Great Sunflower Project page and Pollinator Palooza Event Recipe Card.
10 min – Familiarize yourself with the project instructions and practice making a pollinator observation.
10 min – Scout your program location and identify an area with several flowering plants and visible pollinator activity.
5 min – Print data sheets and pollinator identification resources if you plan to offer a low-tech participation option.
Event Flow:
5-10 min – Set the Stage: Welcome participants and introduce National Pollinator Week. Ask what kinds of pollinators they have noticed in their community and talk briefly about why pollinators matter.
10 min – Meet the Pollinators: Introduce some of the different animals that can act as pollinators and review what participants should look for during their observations.
20-25 min – Count the Pollinators: Head outside, choose flowering plants, and conduct timed observations for The Great Sunflower Project. Record the pollinators that visit each flower.
10 min – Compare Your Counts: Bring everyone back together and compare observations. Which plants attracted the most visitors? What kinds of pollinators did the group see?
5 min – Wrap Up: Show participants how their observations contribute to a larger picture of pollinator populations and encourage them to continue observing pollinators at home.
Recommended Project
The Great Sunflower Project
Watch a flowering plant and count the pollinators that stop by. By recording when and where pollinators visit flowers, participants help researchers better understand pollinator populations and identify areas where they may need support.
Anytime
Outdoors
Pollinators, Insects, Biodiversity
Program Resources
Help our pollinators with the great sunflower project
Learn how to observe flowers, count visiting pollinators, and contribute your observations to The Great Sunflower Project.
Complimentary Projects & Resources
Pollinator Week is just the beginning! For more ways to explore pollinators throughout the year, check out our July program plans featuring Night Shift Naturalists and our September plans featuring seasonal pollinator observations.
