Young explorers are to get a fun-packed insight next month into the amazing environments of rainforests and deserts.
In a first for the University of Aberdeen’s popular Natural History Centre, staff are offering their Extreme Earth sessions at the David Welch Winter Gardens at the city’s Duthie Park.
Organiser Marie Fish, Education Officer at the Natural History Centre, said: “The David Welch Winter Gardens are just the spot for finding out more rainforests and deserts.
“As the Zoology Building, where the Natural History Centre is based, is being refurbished, it seemed a great opportunity to take our education programme out into the community and stage it at one of the city’s favourite attractions.”
Aberdeen City Council has provided the funding for the project and staff at the Winter Gardens have also been extremely supportive of the venture.
“We are taking along our wonderful stock of resources, which include live animals, such as stick insects, leopard geckos and rainforest treefrogs, together with some of our museum specimens and microscopes. We will be combining these with the fantastic glasshouse collections at the Duthie Park to deliver a fun education programme for all about rainforests and deserts,” said Marie.
“We will be looking at how plants and animals survive in these climates and how they live in harmony with each other. The diverse ways in which they do really is fascinating! We will also be organising trails through the glasshouses, and there will be workshops, and a craft table, where our young environmentalists can make something to take home.”
The Extreme Earth Rainforests and Deserts sessions are free and take place between 1pm and 4pm. The Rainforests sessions take place on July 3 to July 7 and then again on July 10 to July 14. The Deserts sessions run from July 17 to July 21 and July 24 to July 27. The events are aimed at accompanied school aged children but everyone is welcome.
Marie added: “Our sessions always prove extremely popular and I imagine we will attract even more people because they will be based at the Winter Gardens and because they are taking place during the school holidays.
“And the good news is that people don’t need to book – they can just turn up on the day!”