World Bee Day is May the 20th as anyone who has used the lesson on this will know. And why wouldn’t there be a day for these wonderful honey-producing, fruit tree-pollinating, civilization-supporting yet threatened insects?
But why isn’t there a world wasp day? Is it their fearsome appearance? Is it the way they bully you as you try to enjoy a picnic? Is it that many of us don’t know that wasps, just like bees, are vital pollinators, as well as being a natural garden pest control?
How could you encourage appreciation of wasps in the language class and even debate the idea (mad as it might sound to some) of World Wasp Day with your students without creating the furore usually associated with, well, a wasp flying into the classroom through an open window? This is what I would do.
So, I declare 25th of June World Wasp Day! Just remember, if you ever see this day on the UN calendar of international days, you saw it here first!
Are you inspired to create green language lessons? I really want to work with you to fulfil your potential in this area. Why not join me for the two week course Language Teaching for the Planet starting 28th of June?