Earth Lab welcomes its first learners
It’s been a long journey and we are delighted to reach the milestone of welcoming learners to our new building, Earth Lab. The sustainability-led building was completed earlier this year and we have been busy working to get it ready to host our first groups. Earlier this month 60 pupils from St John the Evangelist took part in an Earth School Ancient Britain workshop. The year three and four students made the most of the glorious sunshine as they spent time outside, connecting with nature and the heritage of the landscape around them. Activities included walking to the hill fort to think about how our predecessors might have used these spaces, making Iron Age and Roman shelters in the woods, fire lighting, making pots with Roman patterns on, wheat grinding and Iron Age painting.
“After such a turbulent year for so many children, it felt brilliant to be able to welcome them here. Our green spaces have always inspired learning, but this purpose-built space has really added to the experience. The children are able to sit in covered areas outside, which is not only better for everyone while we continue to work in Covid-safe ways, but also means that they can see, hear and smell the natural world we’re talking about. Even once we move sessions inside, the materials used and the design of the building will allow us to bring the landscape to life in new ways.” Head of Environmental Education, Jenny Creese
Earth Lab is the new home for our environmental education sessions and will transform the experience for those visiting our site. The multi-use spaces include a welcome area, two indoor classrooms, a sheltered classroom and extended garden space as well as specially devised science and environment-themed experiments. By connecting the indoor and outdoor experiences in such a unique space, we will enable deeper learning and understanding of the natural processes we see happening around us.
We’re only just moving in, with more of the planting and experiments to come, but are looking forward to welcoming many more groups in the future. Please visit our education pages to find out more about the workshop sessions available.
