STEM Planting Maza

BeeFavored: Empowering Harlem’s Youth Through Bees, Science, and Sustainability

Over the past three years, BeeFavored has made a lasting impact in the Harlem community by blending education, environmental awareness, and entrepreneurship into fun, hands-on learning experiences for children and families. What began as a small initiative has blossomed—thanks to the generous support of Hello Skip, 1010WINS small businesses, NASE, CitizenNYC’s Community Leaders, The Hustle Grant, Harlem Unity, Harlem Uptown Boogie, NYC Boss Up, and the Harlem community—into a vibrant movement for sustainability and empowerment.

Through our BeeFavored HarvestED workshops, children became young urban beekeepers, learning about pollinators, plant science, and environmental stewardship through interactive STEM-based activities such as:

BeeFavored HarvestED Plant Maze

• My First Root Viewer: observing root growth and collecting data to understand plant development.
• See-Through Compost Containers: exploring decomposition and sustainability through real-time observation.
• Kids Bug Habitat: discovering insects up close while learning to record and classify species.
• Garden Tool Sets: hands-on planting and composting experiments.
• Magnifying Glass Exploration: learning to see nature from a new perspective.

We distributed 300+ customized BeeFavored Maze Planters and hundreds of bee-friendly seed kits to schools, families, and local youth groups—encouraging children to plant pollinator gardens and explore science in their own backyards.

Our community events—beehive tours, coloring contests, “Build-a-Hive” popsicle stick challenges, and street fairs—have drawn excitement and participation from families across Harlem. With the support of BestBees, we’ve expanded our rooftop apiary, adding new hives, beekeeping suits, and equipment for safe, educational rooftop tours.

As a result, BeeFavored has:

• Doubled and tripled sales through increased visibility at Harlem’s farmers’ markets.
• Expanded social media outreach, promoting our message of health, community, and sustainability.
• Hosted summer interns and college volunteers who contributed to rooftop gardening and youth education.
• Distributed thousands of bee-friendly seeds, helping schools and families build pollinator habitats throughout Harlem.

What started as a dream to teach kids about bees has become a powerful community-led movement for education, sustainability, and hope. BeeFavored continues to inspire the next generation to protect pollinators, nurture the planet, and discover the joy of science through nature.