A young boy with face paint looking over the bridge

School Workshop: Building in Brazil (year 1 and 2)

This workshop takes pupils into the heart of our Biome to get the inspiration to build a rainforest shelter, and encourages them to explore the differences between Brazil and their own home.

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Workshop overview

What happens in the workshop

Pupils begin the session in our Core classroom looking at images of homes in Brazil in the UK and talking about similarities and differences between the two countries. We then focus in on Manaus, and the conditions experienced by people who live there.

Supported by a map, the pupils explore the Rainforest Biome with their teachers. They have two tasks running in parallel. Task 1 is all about noticing and recording the physical and sensory experience of being in the rainforest. In task 2 pupils observe and identify 2D shapes used in the structures of the different buildings in the Biome. They record features of the buildings and talk about those features’ links to the conditions.

On returning to the classroom the students use their new knowledge to design and build a rainforest shelter for those ‘renowned rainforest explorers’ (!) Copacabana Ken and Bahia Barbie. They choose from a selection of materials and create their structure before describing and explaining their choices to the group.

Workshop objectives

This workshop enables students to:

think about similarities and differences between the UK and Brazil
identify and talk about 2D shapes
consider materials and structures appropriate for different conditions
select and join materials to achieve a goal.

Participating pupil

“ I was surprised at what Brazil looked like, because I didn’t know there were houses that could float on water. ”

Unforgettable school trips

Practical information

We've designed the workshop to help teachers cover the following subject areas:

Geography

Understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a contrasting non-European country.

Design and technology

Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria; Build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.

English SL 5

Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings.

Maths

Compare and sort common 2D and 3D shapes and everyday objects.

The workshop costs £8.50 per pupil, with a minimum charge of £170 per group (includes VAT). Maximum group size is 35.

a facilitated workshop with our Education Team
free access to the Eden site for the day
all equipment needed for the workshop
free teaching resources enabling your class to prepare for the workshop and to follow up on the activity (download a sample copy)
a personal welcome from the Education Team at the entrance
a base for your bags in our purpose-built education centre, The Core
a space to eat your own lunch

Free entry is available for accompanying adult helpers, whose participation is essential to the success of the day (please note our suggested adult/pupil ratios are as follows: Early Years Foundation Stage, 1:3; Key Stage 1, 1:6; Key Stage 2 and 3, 1:10; Key Stage 4, 1:15; Key Stage 5, 1:20). You’re welcome to bring more helpers if you’d like. Additional helpers are charged at our group booking rate.

We also offer a free preparatory visit to Eden for teachers wanting to plan their school trip, which should be booked in advance.

Accredited workshops at Eden

This workshop is accredited under the British Science Association’s CREST Awards scheme. Completion of the workshop contributes two activities towards a Star Award.