The Great Plant Hunt

The Great Plant Hunt is a primary school plant science learning initiative, developed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Wellcome Trust.

Forming part of the Darwin 200 initiative, The Great Plant Hunt encourages primary school children to "follow in the footsteps" of Charles Darwin by going on nature walks in and around their school grounds. The aim is that children will find out more about plants, think about the roles plants play in peoples' lives, and in the process learn key scientific skills.

Free resources including kit boxes or 'Treasure Chests' developed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, will be provided to every primary school in the UK in March 2009 [> [http://www.darwin200.org/press-releases/schools] ] . The boxes, containing teaching materials for every year group from 5-11, will enable children under 12 to experience the variation and adaptation characteristics of plants. UK children will also be given the opportunity to contribute to the work of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank and play a real part in helping to conserve plants.

All activities are linked to the National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2, with a focus on the science curriculum, but also offering cross-curricular opportunities.

Schools do not need green space to participate in the project; local parks, churchyards, and the playground can be used. Many of the activities are completely classroom-based and will be supported with online resources and videos. Engagement may involve the whole school or just one class.

References

External links

* http://www.kew.org/great-plant-hunt
* http://www.kew.org
* http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
* http://www.darwin200.org/index.html