Guided school visits at RHS Garden Rosemoor

Bring your students for a guided visit and enjoy educational workshops in our adaptable learning spaces

Book now for visits throughout the academic year. School visits are free, and we offer a travel grant of up to £100 per school trip towards your coach costs. To book your visit or for more information, please email us on [email protected].

School workshops

Our exciting workshops offer hands-on sessions for children at Foundation Stage and in Primary and Secondary schools (KS1-4), including those with special educational needs (SEN). Scroll down to see the diverse range of workshops we offer for schools at Rosemoor.

PRIMARY / SECONDARY SCHOOL LEAFLET

How to book guided visits and workshops

  • Choose a workshop for EYFS, Primary, Secondary school and SEN workshops from the selection below
  • Contact us at [email protected] to plan your visit or arrange a free teacher pre-visit. Please tell us the number and age of the children you would like to bring, roughly when you would like to visit, and your chosen workshop

  • Please note: Free entry on your pre-visit only applies to teachers who will be accompanying children on the day of the school visit
  • Use the self-guided resources to help you plan the self-guided part of your day
  • Please help Rosemoor create less waste and pollution by carrying home and recycling your lunchbox rubbish

All pre-booked educational visits are free of charge. If you feel able to give a donation to the RHS to help support our educational work this would be much appreciated; we ask you to consider a donation of £3 per child for your visit.

Early Years (EYFS) activities 

Bring your class to our garden to take part in our EYFS activities. We have three to choose from which all support the EYFS curriculum as well as the educational objectives of the RHS.  

Workshops

  • Bees and Beasties: With a focus on the importance of bees, learn how to make bee crowns, try your hands an waggle dancing and take part in a bee-friendly planting activity
  • Legendary Leaves: Collect as many different leaves and discover their characteristics while on a walk through the garden. These will then be turned into leaf kebabs and wax resist pictures

  • Rosemoor through the seasons: Take part in a seasonal plant hunt around the garden, collecting different colours from nature to make crowns or flowers before planting some seeds or bulbs to take back to school

Get in touch by email at [email protected] to plan your visit or arrange a teacher pre-visit. Please tell us the number and age of the children you would like to bring, roughly when you would like to visit, and your chosen workshop.

Please note: Free entry on your pre-visit only applies to teachers who will be accompanying children on the day of the school visit.

Primary school workshops

A programme of 90–minute workshops for classes of up to 35 students for both KS1 and KS2 students. Larger school groups can be split, with two sessions taught back-to-back.

Workshops

  • Who Lives in Our Garden? Discovering, Exploring and Investigating: Learn about vertebrates and invertebrates, developing knowledge and vocabulary, go on an invertebrate hunt to identify creatures around the garden and look at food chains.
  • Fantastic Food: A look into where food that we eat comes from, which parts of plants we eat and how plants are grown. Sessions will involve some planting to take back to school to grow and harvest.
  • Gardens are Good for You: Children will immerse themselves in nature and explore the garden using their senses. How does the garden make them feel? Children take part in bite-size activities using their senses. They will plant something edible to take back to school, grow and eat.

  • How Plants Grow: Discovering, Exploring and Investigating Plants: Discover the life cycle of a plant and plant processes from germination to pollination, fertilisation, seed development and dispersal. Each workshop includes planting that the children can take back to school.
  • Inspirational Nature: Botanical watercolours, Sketching & Drawing, Natural art, Clay: Using nature and the garden as inspiration for art activities. Look closely at the garden's shapes, colours and textures to influence their art. 
  • Exploring Rocks and Soils (LKS2) Investigating Soils (UKS2): Discover soil and why it is valuable. Thinking about the ingredients of soil and soil properties, and measure soil conditions in the garden. Children will consider plants' role in our environment and plant something climate-positive. 

Get in touch by email at [email protected] to plan your visit or arrange a teacher pre-visit. Please tell us the number and age of the children you would like to bring, roughly when you would like to visit, and your chosen workshop.

Please note: Free entry on your pre-visit only applies to teachers who will be accompanying children on the day of the school visit.

Secondary school workshops

We are keen to increase our engagement with secondary schools and have developed a number of half-day curriculum-based Secondary school workshops. We can accommodate larger groups by running both morning and afternoon sessions, and while the group is not taking part in the workshop, they can explore the garden with the school staff.

Workshops

  • Art: Explore the colour wheel and try your hand at watercolour painting to create a beautiful landscape of the garden or botanical plate
  • Plant problems: Investigate the signs of common plant problems, then create a key for identification and discuss how they can be managed

  • Soils: Take part in a range of practical soil tests to find pH and soil texture, and find out about how these affect plant growth
  • Field studies: Learn plant identification and quadrat survey skills in the Atlantic woodland, which is part of the world’s temperate rainforest

Get in touch by email at [email protected] to plan your visit or arrange a teacher pre-visit. Please tell us the number and age of the children you would like to bring, roughly when you would like to visit, and your chosen workshop.

Please note: Free entry on your pre-visit only applies to teachers who will be accompanying children on the day of the school visit.

Special educational needs and disabilities workshops

Created specifically for mixed age and ability special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) groups, these Secondary school workshops are designed to run as a series throughout the year, with one workshop per half term. Each workshop incorporates curriculum skills while encouraging an interest in horticulture and engagement with the gardens.

Workshops

  • From seed to fruit, featuring Rosemoor’s apple orchards: Follow the life cycle of a plant from seed to fruit, learning about the different stages of development, plant parts and varieties of apple
  • Autumn at Rosemoor and the Sculpture Exhibition: Learn about the autumn season in the garden, collect and classify leaves on a woodland walk, and make sketches of the sculptures
  • Investigating soils and roots: Discover the fundamental ingredient of gardens – the soil. Carry out tests to analyse the soil texture and acidity (pH), and repot a plant to study the roots

  • Vegetable garden planning and growing: Think about what vegetables you enjoy eating, and what they need to grow, then design your own mini garden, which can be planted up back at school
  • Keeping plants happy – what they need and where it comes from: Find out how plants grow, what nutrients they need and the process of photosynthesis and identifying pollinating insects
  • Fantastic food (incorporating less fantastic beasts and where to find them): Explore the Fruit & Vegetable Garden to find out what is growing and how to manage plant problems

Get in touch by email at [email protected] to plan your visit or arrange a teacher pre-visit. Please tell us the number and age of the children you would like to bring, roughly when you would like to visit, and your chosen workshop.

Please note: Free entry on your pre-visit only applies to teachers who will be accompanying children on the day of the school visit. 

Booking a visit

To arrange a school visit or if you have any queries, please contact the Schools Team at Rosemoor by email or phone and they will be happy to answer your questions.
 

Call: 01805 626855
Email: [email protected]
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