School Workshop: Brilliant Botanists

Workshop overview

The job opportunity of a lifetime is within reach! Students must demonstrate a series of scientific enquiry skills as part of a ‘pattern seeking’ investigation into leaves from the Rainforest Biome and Mediterranean Biome. Can they use scientific knowledge to explain their findings, impress the Eden bosses and secure the dream job?

What happens in the workshop

Your pupils have applied for the position of ‘Senior Plant Research Specialist’ at the Eden Project and have been invited to attend a challenge-based interview day at Eden. The Eden bosses patch in via video link to welcome the pupils and share the details of the challenge.

After a quick refresher on the importance of leaves for plants the pupils decide how to collect the data required in order to answer the question posed. They then set off to visit both the Rainforest and Mediterranean biomes to collect data about leaves. They also collect data about the physical condition in the biome, such as temperature and humidity, using our state-of-the-art data loggers.

Upon returning to the classroom, the pupils analyse their data and draw their conclusions using ideas about plant processes before submitting them. The Eden bosses patch back in and give them the news. Can your pupils complete the scientific enquiry to the highest standards, impress the bosses and secure the dream job travelling the world?

Visiting teacher

“ One of the most educationally rich venues to have taken groups to visit. I would hope all pupils at our school could visit on a rite of passage. ”

Unforgettable school trips

Practical information

This workshop enables students to:

Decide how to conduct a ‘pattern seeking’ scientific enquiry in order to answer a given question
Practise their scientific enquiry skills - planning a method, taking and recording measurements, presenting and using data, using the data, drawing conclusions using scientific knowledge
Describe the physical condition the Tropical Rainforest Biome and Mediterranean Biome
Make predictions about the ways in which plants can be affected by changes in the environment.

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

In Science pupils should be taught about working scientifically. This involves using different types of scientific enquiry in order to answer a given question and using a variety of different scientific enquiry skills. These skills include taking measurements, recording data, drawing conclusions based on data and observations, using scientific knowledge and understanding to explain findings and reporting and presenting findings from enquiries.

Pupils should be taught to identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways (evolution and inheritance)

Pupils should be taught to recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.

In Geography, pupils should be taught to locate the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. They should be able to describe and understand key aspects of physical geography such as climate zones and biomes.

In Maths, pupils should be taught to calculate and interpret the mean as an average.

The workshop costs £7.50 per pupil, with a minimum charge of £150 per group (includes VAT). Maximum group size is 35. The cost includes:

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

The price includes free entry 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; for a charge of £15 per adult. 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 enables the student to gain one sticker towards the SuperStar Award.