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To mark our centenary year, we are creating a new outdoor education space that will benefit University students, local school children and neighbouring community groups, both now and as a legacy for the future.
The Garden celebrates our role as a leading climate science and environmental research institution and will provide a focal point for our outdoor learning activities.
The Outdoor Learning Garden will help people gain a deeper appreciation of our changing natural world. Visitors of all ages will be able to explore educational themes including climate change, biodiversity, hydrology and food production, and understand how they are all interconnected at a local, national and global level.
You can help us build this flagship facility for everyone to enjoy.
Every element of the Outdoor Learning Garden has been designed to support flexible learning. The Garden showcases key themes about the challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability, in a beautiful natural setting.
What is driving climate change, how we know that global temperatures are changing, and how technology and renewable energy sources can provide solutions.
From droughts to floods: visitors will discover the impacts of variable water conditions in a changing world.
The range of flora and fauna that can be found in different environments in the UK. Visitors will be able to explore the challenges that face these habitats, as well as solutions which support and protect biodiversity.
Where our food comes from, how food is produced and the challenges of providing enough nutritious food to feed the planet.
Where visitors can be inspired to improve their own school grounds or gardens at home.
The garden will also feature:
The Outdoor Learning Garden will be located on Whiteknights campus, within recently restored historic walls in the Harris Garden, our campus’s own beautiful, landscaped garden which is open to the public.
The Garden will provide opportunities for local schools to enjoy outdoor education activities linked to the National Curriculum. Primary and secondary school children will be able to choose from a range of educational topics which will help them to build a connection with nature through discovery and learning.
Sessions will also support early years pre-school learning, further education for students aged 16 and above, and Special Educational Needs.
The Garden will provide a space where pupils can develop skills such as habitat mapping and species identification. They can gain hands-on experience of carrying out practical tasks and fieldwork which may be unavailable at their own school sites due to lack of green space.
The Garden will also showcase ideas for enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience to inspire young people to make changes to their own school environments and homes, and create new or improved green spaces.
Give a gift today and help build a teaching space for future generations.
The Garden will also be a bookable space for community groups to use and enjoy, free of charge.
Youth groups, charities and other community organisations will have opportunities to access the Garden so their members can connect with nature, enjoy spending time outdoors, and engage in lifelong learning opportunities.
Being outdoors can also improve physical and mental wellbeing, so it will provide a healthy environment for gatherings.
You can help create an inspiring space for everyone.
The Garden will provide a teaching environment where students from a wide variety of academic disciplines can learn and participate in research.
Biological sciences, geography and environmental sciences, humanities, and agriculture students will use the Garden as part of their taught undergraduate and postgraduate modules.
It will also be a flagship facility for Institute of Education trainee teachers, where they can acquire the skills and confidence needed to deliver outdoor education.
You can help create a Garden that will grow knowledge.
The University is covering the core building costs, but we need your support to transform the garden into a truly vibrant, inspiring and unique space for learning and discovery.
Your gift today will help us:
Donate today and help deliver this unique project in our centenary year.