As the culmination of their book study of A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lloyd, third and fourth-grade students made mason bee houses to raise money for Mano en Mano, an organization that supports migrant workers in Washington County.
After reading Cynthia Lloyds' book, students chose different interest groups to research several topics related to the text including mason bees, lowbush blueberries, migrant workers in Maine, and the non-profit Mano en Mano which assists Maine's migrant worker community. Students created informational posters to share what they learned with their peers.
Next, students learned more about mason bee homes and how to construct them. Students made prototypes with help from Spindrift Carpentry and assessed their models' ability to be replicated, the cost, and the aesthetics. One model was selected to replicate. Over the next weeks, students created two mason bee homes in pairs.
After completing their bee homes, students visited Love Lab Studio in Portland to set up their mason bee homes to be sold and meet with Eva from Mano en Mano.
Students created labels with blueberry ink paint, wrote letters to customers, and set up homes. Speaking with Eva was a highlight for many. She shared the history of Mano en Mano and her work with the organization. She works with students across the state year-round and is based in Portland. Students were especially interested to hear about how the many blueberry farms in Maine and the Blueberry Harvest School have continued to operate during the Covid pandemic.
A big thank you to Spindrift Carpentry, Hancock Lumber, Love Lab Studios, Satronen Sound, and the many parents and families who contributed their time to make this project happen! All proceeds of the mason bee homes sold at Love Lab Studios will support Mano en Mano's Blueberry Harvest School. If you haven't gotten your mason bee home yet, check out the home in this year's FSP auction!
View the video of the 3-4 Class Mason Bee Project here: