Kim Lehman

On a Professional Note Kim Lehman has worked for over 25 years as a honey bee educator, teacher, professional storyteller, musician, workshop presenter, and author. Children have gained a greater understanding of the honey bee, natures tiny treasure, through the hundreds of programs and workshops Kim has presented at schools, libraries, museums, nature centers, and festivals. As part of her children’s column for Bee Culture Magazine, Kim began the Bee Buddies Club which now has members in every state. Years ago she founded the American Beekeeping Federation Kids and Bees Program and directed this educational service about honey bees for the public at their annual conferences in 15 states. On a Personal Note Kim grew up in a rural Mennonite community in the mountains of western Pennsylvania. Many days were spent making up plays, exploring the creek, hunting mushrooms, swinging on grapevines, walking barefoot through the woods, picking berries and making maple syrup. These adventures and teaching experiences in the Appalachian Mountains have inspired a life-long interest in folk traditions including storytelling, music, dance, oral histories, herbal remedies, crafts, ceramics, found object art, and beekeeping. If the truth be known, Kim is interested in most everything except team sports and reading technical manuals. Being a creative collector, Kim resides with 150 instruments, 300 hats, tons of rocks, books and puppets, and of course 120,000 honey bees. She lives by her mother’s philosophy, “If you are having company, it is better to read a good book than to have a clean oven.”