The Eden Project’s schools team have broadcast to more than 75,000 young people in the UK and across the world, with students participating from countries such as Canada, the USA, Japan, Portugal and the Netherlands.
These rich learning opportunities provide children with a fun and interactive experience, while remaining linked to the curriculum. Lessons explore the tropics, highlighting important plants and stories that shape the world we live in.
Inclusive lessons are delivered to classrooms both big and small, as well to summer schools and people who may otherwise be unable to attend school due to health reasons.
The next event will see the team hosting a paint-along session with the artist John Dyer.
Taking place at 1.30pm on March 27, the team will be teaching all about chocolate, while John Dyer paints a cacao tree from inside the Eden Project’s Rainforest Biome.
Students watching along live will be able to learn about the rainforest, art and the story of chocolate whilst painting their own cacao tree. The session is free and those wishing to take part can sign up at www.lastchancetopaint.com.
The idea to implement live streamed education at the Eden Project initially began as a trial with a single smartphone, gimble and pair of headphones and quickly gained interest from educators and organisations wishing to collaborate.
A key moment came when the team took a significant role in POP23 (Protecting Our Planet Day, 2023) – a live streamed event organised by the UK Space Education Office and STEM Learning, in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.
For the event, the team designed and delivered a 45-minute live interactive session for primary schools from the Rainforest Biome, which highlighted the importance of tropical rainforests and what we can do to protect them. The team were also part of an international panel of experts livestreaming to secondary schools at the event.
In addition, the team also provided a session on plant adaptations as part of Darwin200, which sees the tall ship Oosterschelde visit 32 locations around the world, following Charles Darwin’s famous journey on the HMS Beagle. To accompany the global voyage, live broadcasts such as the Eden Project's help to inspire students’ curiosity and passion for learning about the location the ship is currently visiting.
Robbie Kirkman, the Eden Project’s Education Team Lead, said: “Running live streams from our Rainforest Biome is an incredible experience and it is amazing to see how well received they are. They provide us with an opportunity to fulfil Eden’s mission by engaging with different audiences, connecting them to one another and bringing them closer to the living world.
“To reach more than 75,000 students, many of whom may not have had the chance to visit the Eden Project before, is truly heartening. We’ve had some brilliant feedback and we are excited to continue to grow our live stream offering. We are passionate about reaching as many students as possible and would be excited to hear from anyone who wishes to collaborate with us.”
Those interested in taking part in sessions or working with the Eden Project on future live stream broadcasts can contact the Schools team via www.edenproject.com.
