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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