Make your own rat-shaped shadow puppet then use it to try some shadow experiments.
Find out how the multi-coloured northern lights are created then have a go at creating your own.
Which do you think is the fastest, or the slowest of three main types of earthquake waves – surface, P waves and S waves? Have a race to find out.
In this activity you will see the difference in compressional P waves, transverse S waves and circular surface waves that are produced by earthquakes. You will need a big group of at least 15 people split into three groups.
Planning, prices and pre-visit information can be found here.
You can book a visit online.
We have a variety of resources available, both for use in school and on a visit to the Garden.
Led by expert staff, our workshops for KS2 allow your class to experience the beautiful Botanic Garden and ignite their interest in plants and science. All workshops are hands-on and involve exploring the Garden and getting up close with some of our 8000 species of plants. We can support your science curriculum learning in Plants, Living Things and Their Habitat, Evolution and Inheritance and Working Scientifically.
Workshops for KS1 link to the National Curriculum and allow you to bring your learning about plants to life. Enthuse your class with a morning experiencing the Botanic Garden in a hands-on way with our expert staff. Workshops are two hours long. We can support your pupils’ science learning in Plants, Living things and Their Habitats, Seasonal Changes and Working Scientifically. We also offer a workshop which supports your work in English and Art and Design.
Our workshops for EYFS are one hour long and will allow your pupils to experience the wonder of the natural world in the beautiful space of the Botanic Garden. You can combine a workshop with spending time in the Garden to picnic or explore on a self-led basis. The workshops support many areas of the EYFS framework, particularly Understanding the World, Literacy and Communication and Language.
This kit contains all the material you will need to make paint using pigments and a medium just as artists did (before ready-mix paint!). You can construct an experiment for students to explore the role of science in both the artist’s and the scientist’s workshop with reference to the technical analysis of the Renaissance painting, Cupid and Psyche by Jacopo del Sellaio. There is material provided with the kit that supports each of the suggested activities below.
Suggested activities
If we look closely, rocks tell us the story of their formation. So, grab your notebook and set out on a mini field trip to find out more about how the formation of a rock reflects its physical properties, and what properties architects look for in a building stone.
About the Session
From an enormous protein structure to plaster casts of chicken heads, students will see models spanning different scientific fields, dating from the 18th century to the 20th. They will learn about the importance of models in scientific investigations and discoveries throughout Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They will analyse the representation of concepts including electricity and genetic inheritance, have an in-depth look at the history of molecular models, and operate a mechanical model of the solar system.
