Fuel the Body
Just being a kid
7-12
These Florida 4-H members' businesses are buzzing
Photo and reporting by
UF/IFAS Extension
Emily Flowers is 12 and turns beeswax into reusable food wraps she sells under the name Wrap-EM, complete with honeybee prints. She learned to make them at Bee College, then took a blue ribbon and a division merit award for them at the North Florida Fair.
The parent pitched in
Beekeeping's been in Emily's family four generations, so when she wanted to turn the wax into something sellable, her parents drove her to Bee College and helped her build the bee box. The business, the name, the wraps, all hers.
Why we picked this one
Nobody in this story invented beekeeping or reusable wrap. A kid took a family hobby, a Saturday class, and some fabric and wax, and kept going until it had a name and a ribbon.
Find a beekeeper who'll let you stand close enough to hear the hive, not just look at pictures of one. Pull a frame, taste honey still warm off the comb, and let your kid ask the question you were too polite to ask.
Read the full story at
UF/IFAS Extension
Where it happened:
Gulf County, Florida
There's a box of plastic wrap in your kitchen right now. Your kid's seen a candle melt. See what happens if you hand them a dish towel and let them figure out the rest.