A group of primary school children have learnt about beekeeping and seed planting as part of a new outreach initiative between Winterbourne House and Garden and King Edward’s School.
The ‘Nature Day’ is a new outreach programme which gives primary school children the opportunity to learn about horticulture and beekeeping as well as receiving lunch and an academic session at King Edward’s School. The first session took place on Friday, 15 May 2015 with 30 Year 6 pupils from Tiverton Academy.
The children visited the hot houses in the Botanic Garden to see a variety of fruits and plants before planting their own seeds to take home. They were then given a demonstration on beekeeping which included seeing a cross-section of the hive and the queen bee.
Lee Hale, Head of Winterbourne House and Garden, said: “We’re thrilled to be involved with this new partnership. It’s great to see children from local primary schools having a wonderful time developing new land based skills like seed sowing, planting and even beekeeping! Not only is this enthusing it also provides valuable life skills.”
King Edward’s School has an extensive outreach programme which involves over 10,000 children from over 140 schools each year. The Nature Day is the latest addition to the programme, which also includes Living History workshops, maths competitions, sports coaching and music tours.
Tom Arbuthnott, Director of Outreach at King Edward’s School, said: “This partnership is a great addition to the vast range of activities we already offer to local primary schools. It’s not often that you have the opportunity to try your hand at beekeeping!
“Through offering a range of activities and sharing our resources, teachers and facilities with primary schools, we can help challenge their brightest children and raise their levels of aspiration. Whether or not those children ultimately attend this school as students, we hope it provides them with an opportunity to extend their learning and realise their potential.”
The Nature Day is a free session and there are three more planned for June and July this year.
