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The University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum are located over two quite different sites, the Botanic Garden in the city and the Arboretum, six miles south of the city. The Garden is a classic yet contemporary botanic garden with more than 6,000 plant species planted in family beds, borders and glasshouses. The Garden embraces its historic past and its close associations with Oxford University. The Garden is also a vibrant, modern organisation that welcomes opportunities to work with young people in interesting and innovative ways. The Arboretum is a much larger site with natural woodland, meadow and managed coppice along with more ornamental areas. The Arboretum offers a wider range of opportunities for students to explore real environments through investigation and fieldwork. At both the Botanic Garden and the Arboretum education is central and every member of staff contributes to the education programme. Activities for secondary schools are developed and delivered by a dedicated member of the team. The Garden offers a wide range of programmes for all Key Stages. Science ProgrammesExtreme SurvivorsKey Stage 3Discover how plants survive extreme environments from deserts to tropical wetlands. Study the curious plants in the insectivorous plant collection and find out why plants are true survivors. Plants and Climate ChangeKey Stage 4Find out how plants are responding to climate change and how this might affect people and the environment. Conservation PreservationKey Stage 5Think about the reasons for and ways of maintaining biodiversity. Examples are used to demonstrate the difference between conservation and preservation and illustrate the principles of conservation on a local, national and international scale. Woodland Ecology at the ArboretumKey Stage 5Explore a variety of natural and managed environments: meadow, woodland, coppice and plantation. Discuss the concept of diversity and the impact of management strategies on diversity. Try out sampling techniques, collect data, calculate species diversity and make comparisons. Citizenship ProgrammesOur Sustainable FutureKey Stages 3 and 4Find out who benefits from fair trade. What is the real cost of a pair of jeans? What are the alternatives to paper from wood pulp? Examples from the Garden show how plant resources can be used in a sustainable way. Art ProgrammesArt in the GardenAll Key StagesExplore the historic Walled Garden, the less formal Lower Garden and the exotic plants in The Glasshouses. The suggested length for a visit is between 1 and 2 hours. Art at the ArboretumAll Key StagesThere is a great deal of seasonal interest at the Arboretum and the most popular times to visit are late April for bluebells and October for autumn colour. The suggested length for a visit is between 1 and 2 hours. On arrival at the Garden or Arboretum groups will be met. Students and teachers will be given a short introduction to the collection, told about the best places to work and the expectations of the Garden and Arboretum staff. Teachers can choose to have a longer introduction to the collection in which students are told about the work of artists associated with each venue. The Arboretum is a large site with diverse habitats. Students need to be supervised in small groups. Geography ProgrammesPeople, Plants and PlacesKey Stage 3Compare our desert and rainforest glasshouses. Which plants survive best in each place and why? How do people use natural resources and local knowledge to live in different places? Our Place in the Landscape at the ArboretumKey Stage 4Discover the impact of human activity on environment and biodiversity. Explore a variety of environments that form part of the rural landscape using simple fieldwork techniques. Cross curricula ProgrammesBeautiful Biodiversity for Key Stage 3 Art, Science and CitizenshipDuring their visit students will explore the exotic plants in the desert and rainforest glasshouses, find out how people use plants in different parts of the World, and discover how plants are essential in a balanced ecosystem and why biodiversity is essential. Students will hear about the work of Henri Rousseau who described his visits to botanic gardens like entering into a dream. Students will then have time to sketch and take photographs. It is hoped that some of the work from this session can be used to promote biodiversity and conservation to primary schools using post cards and posters of your students work. Micro Life for Key Stage 4 Art and ScienceIn this programme students are introduced to the diversity of species in the Garden and the special features plants have to enable them to survive in a wide range of habitats. Students explore the Glasshouses studying adaptations, sketching and taking photographs. Students examine species from the rainforest and desert under the microscope, and find out why the plants are special at the microscopic level. This workshop is inspired by the work of Rob Kesseler who is a former artist in residence at the Garden. Rob’s work Hortus in Vitro, is on permanent display in the glasshouses. Northern Lights for Key Stage 3 English, Science, Art and Exploring Oxford UniversityIn this programme students visit several of the locations that inspired the Northern Lights trilogy written by Philip Pullman. These include the Botanic Garden, Pitt Rivers Museum and Exeter College. Students may also visit other historic collections that would have been explored by Lyra in a fictional representation of the city. These include the Museum of the History of Science and the Museum of Natural History. Activities can be arranged in some or all of these venues. Some activities are taught by Museum and Garden education officers while others are led by the students own teachers. Useful InformationGroup sizeMost programmes are designed for up to 30 students. If the group is larger then a school may like to contact other venues as well as the Botanic Garden so that students can be spread over more than one location. For ideas of good venue combinations please contact us. Student supervisionAll students under 16 must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult. We require a minimum ratio of 1 adult to 10 students. Students over the age of 16 years must also be supervised by an adult. Special needsAll our activities can be adapted for students with special educational needs. We are pleased to welcome special school groups and to support children with special needs who are integrated into mainstream schools. Please talk to us about your student’s needs when you book. LunchroomThe Garden has space for around 30 students to eat, this needs to be booked at the same time as your visit. The Arboretum has no indoor space for lunch.
Information about parking minibuses and coaches can be given when booking. School groups must book their visit in advance Call the Botanic Garden on 01865 286690 All sessions are free.
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