Educational Visits
Find out the answer to these questions and many more, as you explore our spectacular glasshouses and flourishing gardens in a totally immersive experience.
An Educational Visit like no other!
Here at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, we offer an educational visit like no other. You can explore our unique Glasshouses and experience an authentic rainforest adventure! Then, walk straight from experiencing hot and humid tropical conditions into a desert climate and observe the changes to plants due to the seasons. Then, wander down to the new Alpine Garden to marvel at the beautiful flora found on the Tundra.
Outdoor Learning
The Gardens contain over 7,500 different plants from all around the world. Experience the humidity and smells of the Tropical House, look (but don’t touch!) with wonder at the carnivorous plants in the Subtropical House, admire the fruits and flowers of the Mediterranean House, and marvel at the bizarre and fascinating ways that cacti have developed to protect themselves in the harsh environment of the world’s deserts (Arid House). Don’t forget to allow plenty of time, in addition, to wander around the stunning grounds seeing the giant koi carp and Victorian cascade in the Rock Garden, be amazed by the National Bonsai Collection in our Japanese Garden, stop and smell the many edible and medicinal plants in our Herb Garden, and play on our amazing Treetops Adventure playground!
Allow us to share the knowledge and experience we have gained over nearly 200 years in our expertly-taught, cross-curricular Teaching Sessions that will be tailor-made to your age group and topic. Or opt for a self-guided visit where group leaders can lead their own activities using our wide range of Educational Resources.
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL EDUCATIONAL VISITS
We provide a unique service, both to schools, colleges and nurseries in term-time, but also to uniformed groups (e.g. brownies, scouts), holiday clubs and youth groups at weekends and during school holidays. Most visits begin when we open at 10am, but you can choose your own arrival and departure times to best suit your requirements.
Contact us …
For more information or to book an exciting educational visit, please contact us by telephone (0121 450 5093) or:
LOtC Quality Badge
Birmingham Botanical Gardens are recognised as a Centre of Excellence and we are delighted to have been awarded a Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge in recognition of our high-quality education service.
Sandford Award for Heritage Education
Birmingham Botanical Gardens are proud to have been recognised with the Sandford Award for Heritage Education.
In delivering the awards, lead assessor, Benjamin Smith, said: “The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is thoroughly deserving of its first Sandford Award in recognition of the impressive
quality of both the formal and informal learning experiences it offers to its visitors. Its imaginative and innovative approach to exploiting the educational potential of this nationally-significant site is commendable and has resulted in the development of a multi-faceted and extraordinarily diverse programme of activities with wide-ranging appeal. The enthusiasm and expertise of its education team and their ability to bring the natural world to life using intelligently-designed learning materials has been integral to this programme’s success.”
Growing Schools Garden Award
Birmingham Botanical Gardens are proud to have been awarded a Growing Schools Garden Award in recognition, by the Department for Education, that we:
– exemplify good practice, including risk management, in children’s learning in the natural environment
– provide access to gardens that offer a range of plant displays and opportunities for learning outside the classroom
– are host to teacher training and educators to develop outside classrooms for learning.
Children’s University
The Children’s University is an international critically-acclaimed charity which encourages all children aged 5 to 14 years to try new experiences, develop new interests and acquire new skills through participation in innovative and creative Learning Activities outside of the school day.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a registered Children’s University Learning Destination, where Passport to Learning credits can be achieved by completing our exciting Learning Activities.