The Great Plant Hunt, Brine Date, The X-Bacteria and I'm A Worm, Get Me Out of Here
4 March 2009
Today, Sir David Attenborough delivered a treasure chest from The Great Plant Hunt, the first of the new science kits, to St Jude's CE Primary School in Lambeth, South London. By the spring, all British state primary schools will have received their own treasure chest full of exciting classroom and outdoor assignments for pupils of each year group to carry out.
Sir David Attenborough and Sir Mark Walport address the children of St Jude's.
Secondary schools can order three free experiments from Survival Rivals. Practical tasks demonstrate key elements of the school curricula in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by exploring the concepts that underpin Darwin's theory and the principles behind modern genetic science. I’m a Worm, Get Me Out of Here explores natural selection for 11-14 year-olds, Brine Date for 14-16 year-olds looks at sexual selection in brine shrimp, and The X-Bacteria for post-16 tracks the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Sir David Attenborough said: "In the year of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, this is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the life and science of one of the world's most famous and influential scientists. As well as celebrating his place in history, the Wellcome Trust is ensuring that every child has an opportunity to understand the long-lasting legacy of Darwin's work and its enormous significance in today's science.
"I hope having such opportunities to engage with Darwin's story at school will inspire these children to follow in his footsteps and let their curiosity lead them on their own journeys to new discoveries."
The Great Plant Hunt
Everything schools need to take part in the Great Plant Hunt is contained in the Darwin Treasure Chest.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), was commissioned to develop The Great Plant Hunt. In March 2009, every state primary school in the UK will be sent a Darwin Treasure Chest packed with outstanding free resources, including a mini seed bank, a plant press, a plant identikit and a Darwin storybook.
Each year group has a set of fun activities, including exploring habitats, collecting seeds and growing plants, all linked back to the scientific methods of Darwin and today's scientists. The chest is supported by a range of online resources, including games and videos, on the website.
Professor Angela McFarlane, Director of Content and Learning at RBG Kew, said: "We are thrilled to be working with the Wellcome Trust and delivering plant conservation education to hundreds of thousands of children across the UK in Darwin's anniversary year. Young people are the future custodians of this planet and it is vital that we equip them with the knowledge they need to become environmentally aware and informed - and passionate about protecting our plants. Who knows, we may find the next Darwin."
Survival Rivals: a trio of experiments for schools
Sir David Attenborough joins pupils from St Jude's on the very first Great Plant Hunt.
Survival Rivals is a set of free kits developed by the Wellcome Trust for secondary schools. With names inspired by reality TV shows, the three experiments are an accessible way to explore the ideas behind Darwin's famous theory and show how these concepts continue to underpin biological and medical research today. Teachers can pre-order the kits from the website.
Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said: "Charles Darwin was fascinated by the study of natural history and conducted many experiments in his garden at Down House. One of the best ways for children to learn about science is for them to do experiments themselves. We are delighted to be working with schools to provide opportunities for children to learn about evolution and natural selection through practical experimentation. What could be a better way to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin than to enthuse the next generation about science and teach them about scientific method?"
Sir William Castell, Chairman of the Wellcome Trust, added: "Science isn't always about expensive machines and technical know-how. The beauty of Darwin's work is that he made insightful observations and did simple, elegant experiments, and from these he was able to come up with a theory that changed our view of the world forever. If we can instil a genuine feel for science in children from an early age, they will grow up to make the astounding discoveries of the future."
Trust support for Darwin celebrations
The Wellcome Trust is supporting creative projects across the education and cultural sectors to make sure Darwin's science comes to life for as many people as possible. These projects will celebrate Darwin's life, work and ongoing impact with audiences up and down the country throughout 2009.
Routes is a new website comprising eight online programmes following Katherine Ryan, a comedian who is learning about her own genes after having had cancer twice and developing lupus, another genetic disease. The site is designed to engage young audiences in contemporary scientific issues.
As well as Katherine’s documentary 'webisodes', the site will have interactive content such as minigames, blogs and forums to capture the imagination of visitors.
The Wellcome Trust also helped produce the stunning Tree of Life animation that formed the centrepiece of David Attenborough's BBC1 documentary on Darwin (broadcast 1 February 2009). The animation is now available online: the interactive Tree of Life puts you in the driver's seat to explore the evolutionary links between living creatures. Now, you can study the tree as you watch the associated video, swapping between the two as often as you like.
Image credits: The Wellcome Trust
Caption: (Home page and top) (l-r) Sir David Attenborough, Angela McFarlane of RBG Kew, Florence Wilson (Head teacher of St Jude's School) and Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust.
Contact
Michael Regnier
Media Officer
The Wellcome Trust
T +44 (0)20 7611 7262
E
m.regnier@wellcome.ac.uk
Notes for editors
1. The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
2. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and represents over 250 years of historical landscape.
3. The Wellcome Trust’s Darwin-related projects, including The Great Plant Hunt, Survival Rivals, Routes and the Tree of Life, are all part of Darwin200, a national programme celebrating Charles Darwin’s life, his ideas and their impact around his two hundredth anniversary.