Excite and inspire your pupils with a visit to Kew, the world-leading botanic garden.
Itinerary: Geography Ecosystems: Rainforest
Provider: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
Subject: Geography
KS: 3
The historic glasshouses, exceptional plant collections, glorious grounds and vital scientific research will inspire curiosity about the world, its plants and its people.
The KS3 education sessions (45 or 90 minutes) consist of hands-on activities delivered to groups of 15 pupils. They’re based on the science, geography, and art curricula, covering a wide range of topics including biodiversity, ecology, plant adaptations and plant reproduction.
To help plan your day, two pre-visit planning passes are included in the cost of your visit.
10:00-10:30am Arrive at Kew - volunteers will meet you at Victoria Gate and set you off on the right track.
10:30 – 12:10pm (Optional) Start your day with an education session delivered by one of the Kew teachers. The popular KS3 Geography Ecosystems: Rainforest session takes pupils into the iconic Palm House where they experience first-hand the sights, smells and climate of a rainforest. Find out about the extensive uses for rainforest plants as well as the impacts humans have on this important biome.
12:10 – 12.45pm If you have made a lunch booking, make your way via the glorious Broad Walk to the dedicated lunch space. You can also picnic anywhere within the gardens.
12:45-1:45pm Wander to The Princess of Wales Conservatory where pupils can discover the diversity of plant life in different climatic zones including desert, aquatic and temperate. Visit the nearby Hive to immerse yourself in a multisensory experience triggered by bee activity within the gardens.
1:45 – 2:30pm Be wowed by the newly-restored Temperate House. This is the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world and home to some of the rarest and most threatened plants. Find out what is threatening these plants and how we can protect them.
2:30–3pm If you have a head for heights make your way to the Treetop Walkway to walk 18 metres above the woodland floor, amongst the canopy of sweet chestnuts, beeches, horse chestnuts and oaks.
3-3.30pm Stroll back towards Victoria Gate where pupils can visit the Kew shop before heading back to school.
Back at school, check out Endeavour, the new free online learning platform. Exciting challenges encourage critical thinking about topics related to plants, science and the environment. http://stories.kew.org/endeavour/
Contact information:
www.kew.org/school-visits-to-kew-gardens
