Buzzing about bees: Exploring action-based storytelling as a tool for children's environmental engagement and agency

Environmental stories often focus on what is going wrong. Children can end up worried but unsure what to do. These researchers drew on the idea of "action-based storytelling": stories built around people taking realistic, achievable steps. They wanted to see whether this approach would help children feel able to act.

The team ran nine workshops in seven primary schools in Southwest England in early 2024, with children aged 7 to 11. Afterward, 213 children completed a short survey, and children joined group discussions about what they had learned and what they would like to explore next.

The workshop had four parts:

• A story. Children watched a filmed dance show about Bibi, a young bee struggling to find flowers in a world of pesticides. A friend finally finds her a home full of wildflowers. The show was playful and funny, with a dance move for each bee species.
• A discussion. Children talked about Bibi's problems and how people, alone and together, could help bees. The facilitators also helped children separate the real bee facts from the made-up parts.
• Their own stories. Children learned the bee dance moves through a game, then made up group dances showing people helping bees. Their ideas included buying local honey and steering bees away from flowers sprayed with pesticide.
• A real action. Children planted pots of bee-friendly wildflower seeds to take home.

What they found

1. Fun, active learning drove interest. Children said the activities made the learning enjoyable. Many found the filmed show the least engaging part and were eager to move on. One child had expected the workshop to be "just facts."
2. Children still learned facts and cared more about bees. They shared facts they had picked up, such as that only female honeybees sting and that bees can't see red, and they asked for more "juicy facts." They also talked about loving bees and noticed connections, such as plants and bees needing each other.
3. Most children felt able to help. About half said they had already been doing things to help bees before the workshop, and 39% weren't sure. Afterward, 90% said they knew how to help bees and 74% said they would.
4. Telling their own stories gave children a sense of power. Making up their own dances put children in the role of helper. They said they "felt like a saviour" or "like a hero." Planting seeds then made the link between their own actions and bees' lives concrete.
5. Interest spread beyond bees. Most children (78%) wanted to learn how to help other animals. Teachers at two schools followed up with art lessons about bees. One teacher reported that children were excited to watch their plants grow.
6. Children suggested topics for next time. These included familiar animals such as cats, endangered species such as pandas, forest loss and plastic in the sea.

What this means for your practice

• Tell a story that shows achievable action. Bibi's story ended with a step children could copy: planting wildflowers. Look for stories in which characters take steps your learners could take too.
• Hand the story over to children. Children felt most powerful when they made their own stories. The researchers note that their approach can be adapted to art, music, physical education or literacy, through dance, drama, drawing or writing.
• Keep the "told" part short and playful. Children's attention dropped during the film, and humor and active play kept them involved.
• Follow the story with a real action. Planting seed pots made helping bees tangible and gave children something to take home.
• Present action as shared. The workshop discussed what people can do on their own and together. The researchers stress that children should never be made to feel responsible for environmental problems. The actions should fit what children can realistically do.
• Separate fact from fiction. After a story with talking animals, take time to sort the real facts from the made-up parts, as the facilitators did here.
• Let children shape what comes next. Use the topics they raise to plan future sessions. The paper includes a simple visual guide for designing scaled-down workshops without a professional dance show.