Hello Beekeepers of Interior Alaska! I leave tomorrow at 6PM to drive to Anchorage. I will meet Steve Victors at the Ted Stevens International Airport around 8AM on Sat. Prior to loading your honeybees, I will use a flashlight to ensure your queen(s) are alive and well. Please be near your phone between 2PM and 6PM on Saturday as my friend, John Strothenke will be calling you when I am one to two hours away from Fairbanks. If the weather is 50* or above I advise you to hive your bees as soon as you get them home. If not you will need to keep them in a room that is about 50*. spray them lightly with sugar syrup every 2-4 hours. This ensures they have food if their travel can has run out. If you haven't already done so, get yourself a bottle of benedryl in case someone gets stung and has an allergic reaction.
I'll See You All Saturday!

Getting Ready for Our Honeybees

We have less than a week until our honeybees arrive. If you haven't already done so, get a bag of sugar (a 25# bag should be more than enough for one colony). Make your sugar syrup by boiling water and sugar with a 1:1 ratio. Let the sugar water cool. When feeding your bees, use a juice pitcher for easy pouring. You don't want to get sloppy and pour sugar water into your hive. Bees tend to drown or get "stuck" in excessive puddles of sugar water. Do you have a spray bottle? This is quite important when you receive your bees! Remember, you need to spray a little sugar water on bare foundation prior to hiving the bees. When you spray your bees (while they are still in the box) be careful not to overspray them. Make sure you have all the equipment you will use this spring inside a warm, chemical-free place for at least 24 hours prior to hiving your buzzers! Do you have your insulation ready? If using hard, blue board insulation, make sure it is pre-cut and ready to go. The bubble wrap insulation could be measured and pre-cut as well. Check your staple gun to ensure you won't run out of staples when you are adhering the insulation to your box. My estimated arrival time from Anchorage will be 5PM on April 23, 2011. I will do a hiving demonstration about 20 minutes after I arrive in town. Pollen patties and some medications will be available for purchase. The fuel charge per colony is $7.00.

For my Beginning Beekeeping Students. I spoke with Steve Victors this evening. He says we are still on schedule for our honeybees arriving on 4/23/11. California weather had us worried for a while but things seem to have worked out well with our later arrival date of 4/23/11. The queens are already laying in hives in California which means they will be eager to get out of their cages and fill our hives with eggs as soon as possible. I will meet Steve at the Anchorage International Airport and head back to Fairbanks arount 10AM on Sat. 4/23. My approximate arrival time in Fbks. is 5PM. Please check this blog periodically for updates. Spring is Bee-Ginning!!

Now accepting new Students for Fall 2011!

Animal Kingdom, Marine Marvels, Soar Through the Solar System and Human Body are two hour classes once a week. Two hour classes cost $25 per class. K-3 Beginning Art is 1.5 hours and will cost $20 per student, per class. Materials are included. Each class is limited to five students. We will have 15 lessons per class, per semester and to see more details, just click on the buttons above. Each student/parent is required to make a 15-lesson commintment. Two excused absenses are allowed and reimbursable per student, per semester. All classes are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Thank you for your interest in adding art to your child's education.

Spring is Here!!!

Now that April is here, I find myself preparing for picking up over 50 colonies of honeybees in the Anchorage area. These bees are from the California almond fields. Rumor has it the queens are delayed in getting fertilized since they mate with drones in the air. The weather has been terrible in California this spring. Yet another hobby I long to enjoy is gardening. The tomatoes are already up and now it's getting time to plant gladiolas.

Currently accepting new students for Fall 2011 courses!

To reserve space in one of these classes, email me at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com.

Soaring Through Science-Based Art

After our first week of classes, I must say, my students are bringing a lot of artisitic talent and scientific curiosity to class!!

This week, Soar Through the Solar System found us orbiting the sun while rotating out in the Monroe parking lot, making a solar eclipse, creating solar flares, and discussing thermo-nuclear fusion as well as the Auroras.

Marine Marvels and Animal Kingdom students have been working on polishing their drawing skills and are ready to discuss habitat. This week we will design a marine or land animal in its natural habitat.

Last week's Botany class was full of color as we discussed the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants. We went outside and picked a variety of vascular plants (plants that have tubes to draw up nutrients and water through) and we looked at them under the microscope. Then we peered at a couple non-vascular plants, moss and lichen, under the same scope. We also made our own soap with various scents and textures for srubbing. Finally, we put carnations in colored water as an experiment.

Technology Treadmill students learned a lot about simple machines and using light and shading in their drawings.

What a great start to our semester and what tremendous students I am blessed to teach!!

Flowers

Now that we are at the peak of the growing season in Fairbanks, a fun activity is to go around collecting flowers and pressing them for winter projects like card-making, and decorating homemade gifts such as candles. It's also a great time to take photographs of a variety of our native flowers, berries and all our neighbors beautiful flower beds and gardens!