The Harcourt Arboretum provides an ideal opportunity for children to engage with the natural environment. Our school programme introduces children to a wide variety of trees from around the world, and a number of different habitats including our native oak woodland and wildflower meadow.

All the sessions are held outside, and are based on the principles of education for sustainable development. The sessions are tailored to each season, and include a range of topics with both scientific and artistic themes. Children are asked to participate in a number of activities including interactive games, art and craft, hands-on activities and group discussions. 

Our school programme is free of charge. Each session lasts between 1 and 2 hours and has a maximum capacity of 35 children.

Our sessions are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and places fill quickly, so it is advisable that you book early to avoid disappointment.

University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum Primary Teacher CPD days for 2012

Join us for our exciting new CPD programme designed to help you make the most of outdoor spaces for learning outside the classroom through the seasons.

Our action-packed, hands-on courses will leave you brimming with confidence and ideas for maximising use of your school grounds and local area.

Each day will include basic botany and ID skills, relevant risk assessment information for every habitat visited and practical information for greening school grounds and learning outside the classroom.

For further information on any of these courses, please contact Lynn Daley

To book, please download, print and fill in a pdf application form by clicking on the link below and return it to University of Oxford Botanic Garden, Rose Lane, Oxford, OX1 4AZ.

Spring - Spring out of the classroom.

Find out how to track plant growth in springandhow to plant your own wildlife garden in the school grounds. Get to grips with plant identification so you can stay one step ahead and plan outdoor sessions before flowers appear. Look at life cycles in context while learning top tips for maximising the use of woodland, grassland and pond habitats to teach a range of subjects.

Friday 16th March 2012
Harcourt Arboretum, NunehamCourtenay

Summer - In the Summertime.

Discover practical ideas for teaching parts of a flowers and pollination in the great outdoors. Explore the variation and adaptations in plants and their flowers. Look at life cycles in context. Learn plant and animal sampling techniques for a variety of habitats.

Friday 4thMay 2012
Botanic Garden, Oxford

The Arboretum Comes to School!
(Terms 3 & 4)

3rd January to 30th March 2012)

Do you know which is the biggest seed in the world? How about the longest leaf? Can you identify some of the items which we use everyday that come from trees? Why are trees important and why do we need to look after them? Learn the answers to all these questions and more in our outreach sessions.

During terms 3 and 4 the Harcourt Arboretum is offering schools the opportunity to book an outreach visit. Our Education and Outreach Officer will come into your school and bring a range of materials from the botanical world for the children to investigate and experience. This programme is a good opportunity for children to learn the basics about trees and plants, and is the ideal introduction for a visit to the Arboretum in the future. We will provide everything required for the visit, all you need to provide is the children and the classroom or hall!

The World of Trees

Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 (1 hour, in the hall)

This fun and interactive session is an introduction to trees from all around the world. Join in the activities, listen to the stories and enjoy handling the tree artefacts. Children will have the chance to hold the biggest seed and “hug” the biggest tree.

Three sessions are available each day.

Plant Design

Key Stage 2 (1½ hours, in the classroom)

This session is an introduction to plant biology. Why are leaves green? Why are flowers pretty? How do plants survive in the desert? This lively session will culminate with children applying their new knowledge to design their very own plant or tree.

Two sessions are available each day.

All sessions are free of charge, with a maximum capacity of 35 children.
Availability is limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

Lynn Daley, Education & Outreach Officer,
01865 343501,
lynn.daley@obg.ox.ac.uk

Sorry – This programme is now fully booked. Details of our Spring/Summer programme will appear here in late February.

How to book

If you are interested in making a booking for one of our school sessions, or would like further information about our school programme, please contact:

Lynn Daley
Education and Outreach Officer
University of Oxford Harcourt Arboretum
Nuneham Courtenay
Oxfordshire
OX44 9PX

Tel: 01865 343501

E mail: lynn.daley@obg.ox.ac.uk

The University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum’s Educational activities have been awarded the ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ Quality Badge.

The Quality Badge is awarded to providers who have pledged to engage in an ongoing process to sustain high-quality learning outside the classroom and who have demonstrated that they meet six quality indicators. The provider:

• has a process in place to assist users to plan the learning experience effectively;

• provides accurate information about its offer;

• provides activities, experience or resources which meet learner needs;

• reviews the experience and acts on feedback;

• meets the needs of the users; and 

• has safety management processes in place to manage risk effectively.

To find out more about the Learning Outside the Classroom manifesto
go to www.lotc.org.uk

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