Friday, 11 September 2015

Day Nine: Back to School

If you don't like bees or politics, look away now, because this post is full of them, swarming and jostling for attention. And that's because our activity for day nine was a somewhat ridiculous and geeky, yet hugely enjoyable, mini research project. Yes, that's right - a research project. The idea was that each of us chose a topic for the other to research. And then, we did that - researched the topic, using whatever means at our disposal (a phone or an ipad with the internet working full pelt). Once we'd completed the research, we had to present what we'd learnt to each other. I chose bees; Tom chose the American political system.

I chose the topic of bees because I think they are a buzzingly fascinating creature. Also, my sister-in-law has recently read a book about bees and since then has loved bees with a passion and fervour that has made me want to learn more. And a final reason is that we currently have a colossal, furry bee lying dead in the gap between the window and the secondary glazing in our lounge (those of you that already knew about said bee - yes, it has been there too long and yes, I really do need to remove it and give it the burial ceremony it deserves). This is a huge Barnaby-worthy mystery because the windows don't open because they're too old, and we keep the secondary glazing closed to keep out the noise from the street. No way in; no way out....how has the bee arrived there, at its final resting place? Did it come there to die? Did it arrive there via a tiny gap in the way as a tiny baby bee, live its life trapped within the panes of glass, somehow invisible to us but growing bigger every day, and then finally die, a fully grown bee? These questions, and others, stoked on by my ardent admirer-of-bees sister-in-law, prompted me to pick bees as my topic of choice.

As I said, Tom went down a slightly different (more intellectual?) route, choosing the American political system for me to investigate. I couldn't have been happier with this. As I said in a previous post, I like knowing things, even if they are largely inconsequential (that's if you call having knowledge that means you beat Tom whenever you're watching a TV quiz show inconsequential). I read a lot of John Grisham, and watch a lot of American telly, and you can't really avoid American politics when there's a presidential election on the horizon, so I've picked up bits and bobs here and there, but was certainly eager to find out more. I'm not going to write about what I discovered because then a) you will know everything I know, thus removing the slight sense of pride I have in knowing (probably) more than you do, and b) you won't experience the enjoyment of finding out for yourself. But, by way of a teaser, here are the notes I made to make my presentation:


As well as knowing the difference between a democrat and a republican, to mention just one of my new areas of expertise (!), I also know the difference between a bumble bee and a worker bee. Did you know that in a bumble bee's nest there can be up to 400 bumble bees, but there can be a phenomenal 50,000 honey bees in one of their hives? Also, only the female bumble bee can sting, and she will only do so to protect herself - she's not aggressive. The queen honey bee lays up to 2500 eggs a day, and a female worker bee will live for just 5-6 weeks and produce, in that time, only half a teaspoon of honey! Incredible! I love bees! Whoever invented them must be super cool!

This was a great activity - each of us learnt lots about two new-to-us topics, and we had fun at the same time, bringing to mind that oft-used quote of my years at university, "Children learn better when they are excited and engaged." (Charles Clarke, Excellence & Enjoyment, 2003 (yes, I've forgotten how to reference properly - sorry Marion)) But don't get me started on the pitfalls of the current education system; I've already ranted about that here. Anywho. Every day's a school day!

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