A young girl putting a spoon of soil into a paper cup

School Workshop: Ready Steady Sow (year 1 and 2)

Investigate seeds from around the world; where they come from and how they grow, plant your own seed and take it home.

Little green fingers love getting their hands dirty in this fun workshop.

Workshop overview

What happens in the workshop

Children learn effective ways to explore and observe plants close up, by investigating seeds from around the world and making the connection from plant to seed. Each child plants a seed and finds out how to care for them so that they thrive at home or school after the workshop.

Available Spring and Summer Terms only.

Visiting teacher

“ We have had a fantastic day. The children were really engaged and kept saying that this was the best trip they had been on. ”

Practical information

This workshop enables children to:

use observational skills to examine and identify seeds from around the world
understand the link between plants and seeds and show an understanding of the life-cycle of plants
learn how to plant their own seeds and how to care for them; what plants need to survive
develop new vocabulary connected to growing seeds and plants

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

In Science, pupils should be taught to identify and name a variety of wild and garden plants and describe their basic structure and function. They should consider the characteristics of the different seasons, how seeds germinate and the requirements of plants for healthy growth (water, air, light, warmth and nutrients).

The workshop costs £8.50 per pupil, with a minimum charge of £170 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. 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.

Unforgettable school trips

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.