It's amazing how few people are of the fact that nearly 40 percent of everything we eat depends on insect pollination for its production. It's also estimated that half of middle school students cannot give an accurate definition of pollination. Without insect pollinators, the diet we Americans have grown so accustomed to would change dramatically! 

The Gallatin County Extension Service, in cooperation with the Gallatin County School System, developed a very elementary pollinator program for pre-school students in Gallatin County. This program consisted of morning and afternoon sessions which took place at the Gallatin County Extension Office. During each session, the children were given a VERY basic explanation of what pollination is, its importance to them, and how insects pollinate plants. Kids were even given the opportunity to put on a pair of butterfly wings and "pollinate" a flower. A short age-appropriate video was also used to show actual insects pollinating flowers.

Approximately 70 preschool students of mixed ethnicity took part in this program. There were also four teachers and 10 adult volunteers who were in attendance. 

As a result of this effort, nearly 70 percent of the children involved indicated that they now know that insect pollinators are important, and around half of the kids indicated that they had at least a little understanding of what pollination is. This information was garnered through "raise of hands" surveys.