Botanical Gardens Trip

Year 2 had a fabulous time at The Leicester University’s Botanical Gardens. The day consisted of the children taking part in 5 different activities related to plants. We learnt all about different herbs and what they can be used for; the children were shocked to know that thyme is used in mouthwash! 

We visited the desert house, where we found out all about different cacti and drew our favourite ones. On the way out of the desert house we stopped by the fish pond. We were amazed at how big the fish were and the variety of colourful fish we could see. We also visited the Mediterranean and tropical glass houses. In here we were able to see banana trees, cocoa trees, lemon trees and so many other wonderful plants. We sprayed water on the taro leaves and were amazed at the droplets sliding straight back off.

The lead facilitator helped us to plant our own cress. She was amazed at how much we knew about plants and what they needed to grow. We took part in leaf and tree rubbings and marvelled at the different patterns the bark and vines made. In the woodland area we also found the redwood tree; one of the oldest and largest trees in the world, however the tree we found was only a baby (250 years old!). We investigated to see how many children it took to fit around the tree trunk (Miss Chamberlain’s group found it took all 14 of them). We had a wonderful day and many children summed it up as ‘the best trip ever’

Miss Chamberlain