ONLINE BEEKEEPING COURSE SUITABLE FOR 14-YEAR OLD

[rampino]

Hi folks, could anyone suggest a good online course for a 14-year old. He will be doing beekeeping towards his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Wilco]

Where in London are you? Mentoring may be better than an online course.

 

[PeaBee]

My 14 year old son is in the same boat, having decided to do beekeeping for his bronze DoE skill. We have used the bbka syllabus to pick which skills he will record and use as evidence. We did look at him doing a beginner course, but he decided he would rather just do it himself and record what he does as evidence. I have allocated him a couple of hives as " his" to do the manipulations on and look after.

 

[ericbeaumont]

online course

Is the DofE time-sensitive? If not, why not a practical course in May/June? If not that, he could shadow a beekeeper/farmer.

 

[Wilco]

Is the DofE time-sensitive? If not, why not a practical course in May/June? If not that, he could shadow a beekeeper/farmer.

Probably Bronze DofE at 14 unless it's changed significantly think it needs a 3 month commitment to learning a skill or hobby. Timing will be influenced by whether they want to complete and move on to Silver ASAP or not.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Isn’t it lovely that there are now lots of alternatives to hiking across the countryside. My daughter got her DofE in sailing.

 

[rampino]

Where in London are you? Mentoring may be better than an online course.

Hi Wilco, I am going to give him some practical experience and perhaps as PeeBee suggests, allocate him a hive to look after. I was wondering about some background theory lessons. I think that locally the classes are full. Something on line or on YouTube perhaps?
I was also thinking that he might like to do the Junior Basic exam.

 

[JamezF]

Isn’t it lovely that there are now lots of alternatives to hiking across the countryside. My daughter got her DofE in sailing.

As far as I recall, there are different elements of the award, so learning a new skill is one of them, volunteering is I think another and there's also some kind of expedition which often ends up being hiking, but doesn't have to be.

If memory serves, my son started learning piano for the first, worked at a local swim school teaching new swimmers for the second, and did a hike across Exmoor for the third. There was a fairly fixed time-frame though, so it would fit in with the school terms (because they were managing it).

I honestly can't recall what he did for most of his gold DofE, but the expedition part involved spending most of a week crossing Scotland in rowing boats. He absolutely loved it, especially when they got to the east coast and sat on the hills above the coast watching dolphins playing in the North Sea.

James

 

[PeaBee]

Isn’t it lovely that there are now lots of alternatives to hiking across the countryside. My daughter got her DofE in sailing.

Feel a little sorry for them at the moment as due to Covid my sons school has opted to do a special covid certificate and not the full award. So doing the skill, sport and volunteering elements but not the expedition. Bit of a cop out I think and missing the best bit.

 

[JamezF]

Feel a little sorry for them at the moment as due to Covid my sons school has opted to do a special covid certificate and not the full award. So doing the skill, sport and volunteering elements but not the expedition. Bit of a cop out I think and missing the best bit.

Down here it's only the best bit if you get a good year With Exmoor on the doorstep it's the obvious choice for the expedition and if the weather's nice it's fantastic (as it was for my son). A few of the swimmers I used to coach did their expedition one year when it absolutely lashed down non-stop for about 48 hours. That was really pretty miserable.

My daughter's year was nobbled by Covid, but they'd already done a "practice" expedition, so they basically just assumed that was the real one instead.

James

 

[PeaBee]

He is quite an outdoor kid a good navigator and has wild camped etc with me quite a bit (ex squaddie but not outgrown bashering out!) So I think he was really looking forward to having a head start over his peers. Hopefully by the time he progresses to silver and gold some normality will return and the covid modifications will have disappeared

 

[Wilco]

Hi Wilco, I am going to give him some practical experience and perhaps as PeeBee suggests, allocate him a hive to look after. I was wondering about some background theory lessons. I think that locally the classes are full. Something on line or on YouTube perhaps?
I was also thinking that he might like to do the Junior Basic exam.

@Black Mountain Honey has some good videos, I also like some of the videos from the Norfolk Honey Company although I'm not sure if they're on here. Of course you could unleash him on here too!

When I was doing it the approvals/sign off was from some jobsworth, I think in the local council, so doing some recognised qualification such as the Junior Basic will probably be more likely to get approval when it gets signed off if you get a pen pusher. I did my community service for Bronze and Silver volunteering at the local vet practice every Saturday. Got a letter after Silver was signed off, by the jobsworth-with-no-idea telling me they wouldn't sign off on it again for Gold as they were worried about risk and health and safety etc.. So I did a lifesaving course for my Gold 'community service', essentially going from actual community service by helping a local business to just gaining a qualification (and the training for it) which helped me but nobody else... Rather defeated the spirit of the thing in my view.

 

[E&MBees]

Feel a little sorry for them at the moment as due to Covid my sons school has opted to do a special covid certificate and not the full award. So doing the skill, sport and volunteering elements but not the expedition. Bit of a cop out I think and missing the best bit.

My daughter is doing her Bronze Award currently through school. They are doing the expedition section to enable them to gain the full certificate, but they are not allowed to camp overnight in case they spread covid to each other.

 

[PeaBee]

My daughter is doing her Bronze Award currently. They are doing the expedition section to enable them to gain the full certificate, but they are not allowed to camp overnight due to covid.

Such a shame. You would have thought with sensible lft testing and managment the risks of camping in a closed group is less than a normal school day or lots of other activities.

 

[E&MBees]

Such a shame. You would have thought with sensible lft testing and managment the risks of camping in a closed group is less than a normal school day or lots of other activities.

Indeed, especially as the group are all friends at school.

 

[JamezF]

It does seem hard to justify. I can understand the point of view that having a number of people inside a small space such as a tent may increase the chances of passing the virus between them, but when they're all at school together anyhow I struggle to see that it might. Teenagers just being teenagers must present more possible paths of transmission than I care to imagine.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

As far as I recall, there are different elements of the award, so learning a new skill is one of them, volunteering is I think another and there's also some kind of expedition which often ends up being hiking, but doesn't have to be.

If memory serves, my son started learning piano for the first, worked at a local swim school teaching new swimmers for the second, and did a hike across Exmoor for the third. There was a fairly fixed time-frame though, so it would fit in with the school terms (because they were managing it).

I honestly can't recall what he did for most of his gold DofE, but the expedition part involved spending most of a week crossing Scotland in rowing boats. He absolutely loved it, especially when they got to the east coast and sat on the hills above the coast watching dolphins playing in the North Sea.

James

My daughter taught sailing/windsurfing for the volunteering bit and did a three day expedition round the Isle of Wight for her gold. I remember her award was to be presented by Prince Andrew. We got all dressed up and went to The Ivy instead. Prescient or what

 

[robinharman]

I've got a lad, who is a son of the wife's friend, shadowing me for his DofE. He helped me in the autumn tidying up apiaries and feeding whilst learning some basics. He will come out 4/5 times in the spring - making up nucs/ adding supers etc. He has 12 months to get signed off. Gave him honey for his work.

 

[pete_allotments]

Have you seen?
https://www.bee-craft.com/articles/d-of-e

 

[North End Bees]

I am going to give him some practical experience [...] I was wondering about some background theory lessons. I think that locally the classes are full. Something on line or on YouTube perhaps?

This Buckfast Abbey online course looks like a good option for anyone who can't attend lessons in person.

Very short notice (starts this week) although the video recordings of the live sessions are accessible for the year.