Education Update
I have certainly been kept on my toes since I began working here in June 2016 . I have been involved in so many different aspects of the Garden , from Events to Elderberries , and I have enjoyed every minute !
June and July were very busy – a typical school visit involves a great deal of planning and organisation ( not to mention walking !) but each one has proven to be so very rewarding . Over 30 schools have visited us since June ( over 1800 pupils ). Pupils have participated in a range of different workshops , from creating art pieces such as a “ seasonal ” apple tree , ( looking at how plants change over a year ), to building a 4-foot 3D sunflower , to den building sessions in the Woods , where teams of youngsters were set a challenge to create a sturdy shelter , as well as taking part in a nature scavenger hunt . Bug surveys were also a huge hit – there were a few worried adults when the creepy crawlies came out though ! And of course , potting and planting in the Roots and Shoots Garden has been very popular , with Trevor ’ s team giving youngsters handy tips on how to grow plants alongside bee-talks , where the quest to find the Queen Bee has proven to be very competitive !
Alongside the school visits , I developed an activity booklet for young people that could be used when they visited either the Treehouse or the Pavilion Café . I designed them to be suitable for 5-10 year olds but I ’ ve found adults have enjoyed using them too ! The activities included in the booklet focus on the wildlife and birds found within
Words : Lousie Stott , Education Officer
the Garden and over 4000 booklets have been used so far .
In October , I organised a Bat Day for our visitors – a number of informative bat-talks were offered by experts from Newcastle University . Then as the sun went down , a small group walked around the woodlands with bat detectors . It was amazing to hear the clicks and clacks of all the different species of bat that whizzed around our heads !
In November , the Garden hosted the Botanic Gardens Education Network Conference – over 50 education and learning specialists spent three days here at the Garden , sharing knowledge and best practice via a series of workshops . I delivered workshops to delegates on our Drugs Education Programme alongside a talk in the Poison Garden by Michael Downs .
In the run up to Christmas over 450 pupils visited The Garden over 3 weeks where they all saw Santa in the Roost , made a Christmas Wreath in the Crafty Cottage and enjoyed the Winter Trail . All of the children left us happy ( and tired ) clutching their present from Santa .
I have organised a visit from Northumbria University BA Architecture students for their final year 3 project . They have been set a brief to design a “ visitor centre ” within the grounds of the Garden – we hope to have their designs on display in the summer . GCSE photography students will be visiting soon and I am confident our beautiful Garden will inspire them to create some wonderful pieces that they can use to achieve their qualification .
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