Beekeeper Nick was confused when his bees kept dying off. He kept his hives being stocked with food, so why did he still lose around 75% of the colony? The answer was in what was (or wasn’t) in his bees’ food.
In the wild, bees take what they need from flowers to make honey, and then feed off this honey in the winter. When we take this honey for ourselves, beekeepers replace it with supplementary food in the form of sugar and water, and scientists now say that bees can’t subsist off of just sugar and water, as the simple combination was missing key nutrients. Your parents probably said the same thing about why you can’t just have cake for dinner!
After years of testing different foods for bees, scientists have finally discovered how to make the core ingredient, called “sterole.” Oxford scientists have been developing the best foods for bees, and have found that the bees who consumed the food with sterole were healthier, and had up to 15 times more baby bees! This breakthrough is incredibly important — it means bees can still thrive without floral pollen, which would also help our food security, since bees are so important for pollinating crops.
Discover the amazing animals that live in the coldest environments on Earth in this Kahoot about the polar regions. From powerful polar bears and playful seals to emperor penguins and Arctic foxes, students will explore how animals survive freezing temperatures, icy waters, and long, dark winters.
This Kahoot highlights the special adaptations that help polar animals hunt, stay warm, raise their young, and move across snow and ice. Students will also learn how different species depend on one another within polar food chains and how life continues to thrive in these extreme habitats.
Watch the related BBC videos (below), then invite your Grade 3–8 students to test their knowledge and uncover the fascinating world of polar animals.
In A Hierarchy of Japanese Macaques, these monkeys native to Japan are trying to survive the harsh Japanese winter. They seek out a thermal spa, then primate politics comes into play. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Visit a Christmas Tree Farm, JoJo and her grandmother work together to find the perfect tree for their home. It has to be big enough for decorations but small enough to fit in their house. A mother and daughter go to a real-life Christmas tree farm. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Bake Gingerbread, it’s snowing outside so JoJo and her grandmother make gingerbread pandas. They work together to mix, roll, bake, and frost two trays of delicious cookies. Two real-life friends decorate cookies with icing and sprinkles. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
March 5, 2026, marks the 20th anniversary of premiere of BBC's Planet Earth (and it's just in time for Earth Day on April 22, too!). The breathtaking and award-winning documentary series, narrated by none other than Sir David Attenborough, highlights the natural wonders of our planet. In honor of this momentous occasion, we've put together some of the most popular clips from this beloved natural history show for students ages 8–14.
Get up close and personal with hydroplaning dolphins. Witness an iguana hatchling's terrifying race to survive, pursued by racer snakes. Watch the first steps of two polar bear cubs emerging from hibernation. More of the real-life magic of our blue marble awaits in this video playlist, part of our Planet Earth Collection. Grab your Planet Earth Passport and start exploring!
In Inside the Harbin Ice Festival, the Harbin Ice Festival lights up the night sky in Harbin, China for a few weeks each winter. Huge ice buildings are created and lit for tourists to visit before they melt in the spring. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Think You Know Groundhog Day? Prove It!
Groundhog Day is a time to watch a furry little weather forecaster pop out of its burrow and predict whether winter will stick around — or if spring will arrive early. But how much do you really know about this quirky tradition, celebrated every year on Feb. 2?
From Punxsutawney Phil’s famous shadow sightings to surprising facts about groundhogs and their burrows, this quiz is packed with fun and a few tricky twists. It takes true shadow-sleuth skills to uncover all the surprises of Groundhog Day.
On February 17, 2026, the Lunar New Year begins and the Year of the Horse gallops in! Introduce this holiday — celebrated in East and Southeast Asia and in Asian communities all around the world — to your primary students with a reading passage that explains Lunar New Year and fun Chinese Zodiac activities.
- Lunar New Year and the Chinese Zodiac (reading passage) invites students to explore the origins of the Chinese Zodiac, learn how the lunar calendar works, and discover the legendary animal race that gave each year its zodiac sign. Along the way, students explore how zodiac animals are believed to connect to personality traits and Lunar New Year traditions.
- Meet Your Chinese Zodiac Animal (student activity) has students to put their learning into action by finding their own zodiac sign, reflecting on its characteristics, drawing their animal, and comparing traits with a classmate. Together, these activities encourage students to read, think, and celebrate the Lunar New Year in a fun and meaningful way.
Happy holidays! With so many celebrations all over the globe during this season, it's the perfect time to teach your Grade 3–5 students about winter holidays around the world. Make copies of this mini-book (simply print on both sides flipped on the short edge, stack, and fold to assemble) for your students and invite them to read about each holiday and complete a simple report page full of questions, coloring, drawing, favorite facts, and more. Here are the eight winter holidays covered:
-
Diwali: A Hindu Festival of Lights celebrating the victory of light over darkness, with lamps, fireworks, and family gatherings.
-
St. Lucia Day: A Scandinavian holiday honoring St. Lucia, featuring processions with candles and special buns to bring light during the dark winter.
-
Las Posadas: A Mexican tradition reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter, celebrated with processions, songs, and parties.
-
Hanukkah: A Jewish holiday celebrating the miracle of the Temple’s menorah oil lasting eight days, marked with candles, dreidel games, and fried foods.
-
Winter Solstice: The shortest day and longest night of the year, celebrated by many cultures as the return of the sun with feasts and light-themed traditions.
-
Christmas: A Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, often marked with gift-giving, decorations, and family gatherings.
-
Kwanzaa: A weeklong African American celebration honoring African heritage and the Seven Principles through candles, reflection, and community activities.
-
Lunar New Year: An Asian cultural holiday welcoming the new year on the lunar calendar, celebrated with family reunions, special foods, and traditions for good luck.
Think You’re a Winter Holidays Expert? Let’s Find Out!
Winter is a magical time of year, filled with lights, music, and celebrations around the world. There's so much to discover: Diwali’s glowing lamps, St. Lucia Day’s candlelit processions, the posadas of Mexico, Hanukkah’s spinning dreidels, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa candles, Lunar New Year’s red envelopes, and the winter solstice’s longest night.
But how much do you really know about these special winter holidays? This quiz is packed with fun facts, traditions, and a few surprises that only the most festive holiday experts will ace. Get ready to test your knowledge and see if you can shine bright like the season itself!
Beekeeper Nick was confused when his bees kept dying off. He kept his hives being stocked with food, so why did he still lose around 75% of the colony? The answer was in what was (or wasn’t) in his bees’ food.
In the wild, bees take what they need from flowers to make honey, and then feed off this honey in the winter. When we take this honey for ourselves, beekeepers replace it with supplementary food in the form of sugar and water, and scientists now say that bees can’t subsist off of just sugar and water, as the simple combination was missing key nutrients. Your parents probably said the same thing about why you can’t just have cake for dinner!
After years of testing different foods for bees, scientists have finally discovered how to make the core ingredient, called “sterole.” Oxford scientists have been developing the best foods for bees, and have found that the bees who consumed the food with sterole were healthier, and had up to 15 times more baby bees! This breakthrough is incredibly important — it means bees can still thrive without floral pollen, which would also help our food security, since bees are so important for pollinating crops.
Discover the amazing animals that live in the coldest environments on Earth in this Kahoot about the polar regions. From powerful polar bears and playful seals to emperor penguins and Arctic foxes, students will explore how animals survive freezing temperatures, icy waters, and long, dark winters.
This Kahoot highlights the special adaptations that help polar animals hunt, stay warm, raise their young, and move across snow and ice. Students will also learn how different species depend on one another within polar food chains and how life continues to thrive in these extreme habitats.
Watch the related BBC videos (below), then invite your Grade 3–8 students to test their knowledge and uncover the fascinating world of polar animals.
In A Hierarchy of Japanese Macaques, these monkeys native to Japan are trying to survive the harsh Japanese winter. They seek out a thermal spa, then primate politics comes into play. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Visit a Christmas Tree Farm, JoJo and her grandmother work together to find the perfect tree for their home. It has to be big enough for decorations but small enough to fit in their house. A mother and daughter go to a real-life Christmas tree farm. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Bake Gingerbread, it’s snowing outside so JoJo and her grandmother make gingerbread pandas. They work together to mix, roll, bake, and frost two trays of delicious cookies. Two real-life friends decorate cookies with icing and sprinkles. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
March 5, 2026, marks the 20th anniversary of premiere of BBC's Planet Earth (and it's just in time for Earth Day on April 22, too!). The breathtaking and award-winning documentary series, narrated by none other than Sir David Attenborough, highlights the natural wonders of our planet. In honor of this momentous occasion, we've put together some of the most popular clips from this beloved natural history show for students ages 8–14.
Get up close and personal with hydroplaning dolphins. Witness an iguana hatchling's terrifying race to survive, pursued by racer snakes. Watch the first steps of two polar bear cubs emerging from hibernation. More of the real-life magic of our blue marble awaits in this video playlist, part of our Planet Earth Collection. Grab your Planet Earth Passport and start exploring!
In Inside the Harbin Ice Festival, the Harbin Ice Festival lights up the night sky in Harbin, China for a few weeks each winter. Huge ice buildings are created and lit for tourists to visit before they melt in the spring. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Think You Know Groundhog Day? Prove It!
Groundhog Day is a time to watch a furry little weather forecaster pop out of its burrow and predict whether winter will stick around — or if spring will arrive early. But how much do you really know about this quirky tradition, celebrated every year on Feb. 2?
From Punxsutawney Phil’s famous shadow sightings to surprising facts about groundhogs and their burrows, this quiz is packed with fun and a few tricky twists. It takes true shadow-sleuth skills to uncover all the surprises of Groundhog Day.
On February 17, 2026, the Lunar New Year begins and the Year of the Horse gallops in! Introduce this holiday — celebrated in East and Southeast Asia and in Asian communities all around the world — to your primary students with a reading passage that explains Lunar New Year and fun Chinese Zodiac activities.
- Lunar New Year and the Chinese Zodiac (reading passage) invites students to explore the origins of the Chinese Zodiac, learn how the lunar calendar works, and discover the legendary animal race that gave each year its zodiac sign. Along the way, students explore how zodiac animals are believed to connect to personality traits and Lunar New Year traditions.
- Meet Your Chinese Zodiac Animal (student activity) has students to put their learning into action by finding their own zodiac sign, reflecting on its characteristics, drawing their animal, and comparing traits with a classmate. Together, these activities encourage students to read, think, and celebrate the Lunar New Year in a fun and meaningful way.
Happy holidays! With so many celebrations all over the globe during this season, it's the perfect time to teach your Grade 3–5 students about winter holidays around the world. Make copies of this mini-book (simply print on both sides flipped on the short edge, stack, and fold to assemble) for your students and invite them to read about each holiday and complete a simple report page full of questions, coloring, drawing, favorite facts, and more. Here are the eight winter holidays covered:
-
Diwali: A Hindu Festival of Lights celebrating the victory of light over darkness, with lamps, fireworks, and family gatherings.
-
St. Lucia Day: A Scandinavian holiday honoring St. Lucia, featuring processions with candles and special buns to bring light during the dark winter.
-
Las Posadas: A Mexican tradition reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter, celebrated with processions, songs, and parties.
-
Hanukkah: A Jewish holiday celebrating the miracle of the Temple’s menorah oil lasting eight days, marked with candles, dreidel games, and fried foods.
-
Winter Solstice: The shortest day and longest night of the year, celebrated by many cultures as the return of the sun with feasts and light-themed traditions.
-
Christmas: A Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, often marked with gift-giving, decorations, and family gatherings.
-
Kwanzaa: A weeklong African American celebration honoring African heritage and the Seven Principles through candles, reflection, and community activities.
-
Lunar New Year: An Asian cultural holiday welcoming the new year on the lunar calendar, celebrated with family reunions, special foods, and traditions for good luck.
Think You’re a Winter Holidays Expert? Let’s Find Out!
Winter is a magical time of year, filled with lights, music, and celebrations around the world. There's so much to discover: Diwali’s glowing lamps, St. Lucia Day’s candlelit processions, the posadas of Mexico, Hanukkah’s spinning dreidels, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa candles, Lunar New Year’s red envelopes, and the winter solstice’s longest night.
But how much do you really know about these special winter holidays? This quiz is packed with fun facts, traditions, and a few surprises that only the most festive holiday experts will ace. Get ready to test your knowledge and see if you can shine bright like the season itself!