Covid-19 Schools Update

Our Schools programmes are currently on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

We’re working hard to get schools safely back to the garden as soon as possible. We have missed welcoming you and your classes to our gardens and sharing our wonderful environment with you and look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Please email education@rbge.org.uk to be added to our schools waiting list for when classes and visits can resume.

In the meantime, we have some fantastic online lessons and activity sheets available in Marley’s School of Garden Magic.

Marley's school of Garden Magic (online)

Now open! Join Marley the Botanics' cat in his School of Garden Magic. Explore the weird and wonderful world of plants and meet some magical creatures too. For the curious of all ages!

The home school activities are aligned with the Scottish curriculum, created in honour of Marley, the Botanics’ very own black cat. Topics cover science, expressive arts, health and wellbeing and many more and will be updated regularly. 

We are mainly aiming at primary level but the material will be of interest to anyone of any age who is curious about the natural world.

This has made possible in part by support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery and the Gannochy Trust.

Schools Programmes

Where can you explore a tropical rainforest, an arid desert or a Scottish woodland in a single morning?

School programmes are inter-disciplinary, and use the RBGE’s living collections of plants in our renowned Gardens and glasshouses to make learning come alive.

All school programmes at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are age-appropriate and linked to Curriculum for Excellence Experiences & Outcomes, SQA qualifications and equally easily link to English and other curricular requirements. A visit to RBGE supports the Scottish Government's campaign for outdoor learning.

We offer programmes for: Early Years; P1-3; P4-7; and Secondary. Bespoke and Special Needs Programmes are also available, please call us to discuss the options for your group.

We also offer a suite of CPD/CLPL programmes focusing on STEM subjects, Early Years, Art and Gardening topics.

Curricular Areas targetted on our programmes:

Sciences: The science of plants, structure and function and the importance of their biodiversity and conservation, is core to our mission and embodied in our programmes, giving context to curricular frameworks and delivered in relevant and exciting ways suitable for all ages.

Social Studies: Plants are essential to every society on earth. We explore links between plants and people and their cultures, encouraging understanding about other people, societies and beliefs and values’, especially focusing on developing awareness of environmental issues.

Health & Wellbeing: Many of our programmes promote active learning outside, and support good health and personal wellbeing by providing close encounters with and care for nature.

Expressive Arts: Art programmes, using a variety of media including photography, develop observation, artistic and creative skills whilst encouraging appreciation of nature’s beauty, linked to care for the environment.

Mathematics: With new programmes for mathematics we recognise that our outdoor environment is an excellent resource for maths-based activities, making maths relevant to everyday life.

Our freely available educational computer game CALEDON enables learning about tree health through players managing a virtual forest.