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Education E-update
- July 2008
BGCI Education Team
 | Summertime
 For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, summer has arrived. This often results in a range of different education programmes on offer at botanic gardens and other plant-based education sites. As this month's 'In the Spotlight' shows us, summer programmes offer educators a chance to work more closely with children through longer, more focused programmes - usually a welcome change after the hustle and bustle of the school year. We'd love to hear from you about your summer programmes. Send us your updates and programme highlights, and we'll include them in an upcoming Education E-update. Best wishes,
The BGCI Education Team
education@bgci.org (for general education enquiries to BGCI)
e-update@bgci.org (for Education E-update enquiries)
| | Education News from Around the World
BGCI Education Congress call for abstracts: Abstracts are invited for BGCI's Seventh International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, 'Action Learning: Places, Spaces and Partnerships for Biodiversity and Human Well-being'. The congress takes place in Durban, South Africa, from 1-6 November 2009. Submit your abstract via the official congress website. International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education: A few places are still available for participants to study on the International Diploma Course in Botanic Garden Education. With an emphasis on interactive learning, participants will learn education skills and strategies to get their messages across effectively to varied audiences. Learn more about the course on the BGCI website. National Botanic Garden of Wales features 'Wallace Week': To celebrate the life and scientific contributions of Alfred Wallace, the National Botanic Garden of Wales (UK) celebrated Wallace Week July 1-5. Wallace is perhaps best known for coming up with the idea of evolution by natural selection at the same time as Charles Darwin. Special events at the Garden included a new play, an exhibition and a book of poems about Wallace's life and work. Butterfly garden to open at the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens: This autumn, the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens (USA) opens its new lepidoptera garden. The garden will include perennials, shrubs and trees known to attract butterflies including the viceroy, pearl crescent, spring azure, monarch and black swallowtail, and the royal walnut, luna and io moths. Memphis Botanic Garden breaks ground on new children's garden: The Memphis Botanic Garden (USA) held a ceremony on June 17 to mark the beginning of construction of a new children's garden. The U.S. $5 million, 2.5-acre project is expected to be completed in September 2009. Roses bloom online at Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Fresh on the heels of its popular time-lapse video of its blooming cherry tree esplanade, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (USA) has created a second time-lapse video showcasing the Cranford Rose Garden. Kew unveils new treetop walkway: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has opened its new 18-metre-high Xstrata Treetop Walkway, which gives visitors the opportunity to learn about biodiversity at the top of the tree canopy. The Walkway design is based on a Fibonacci numerical sequence, often found in nature's growth patterns. The 200-meter-long walkway also offers a birds-eye view of the 300 acre (120 hectares) botanic garden, as well as the London skyline. Even more news online: Check out even more botanic garden and plant-based education news on BGCI's website, including a story about the Chicago Botanic Garden's decision to no longer sell bottled water. You can also sign up to have weekly news updates from BGCI delivered straight to your email inbox. What's going on at your botanic garden? Send us news from your botanic garden or education site, and we'll include it in the next issue of Education E-update. | | PlantEd Poll
It's quick and fun! Read this month's poll question and click on your response. We'll publish the results in the next Education E-update! This month's poll: Does your job require you to do fundraising to support your plant-based education programmes? Click on a response below to cast your vote! Yes, fundraising is part of my position. No, fundraising is not part of my position. Last month, we asked what is the largest audience for your plant-based education programmes. Here's what you said! 
| | Tools You Can Use
EU launches 'KeyToNature': The European Commission has launched KeyToNature, a 5 million Euro project devoted to biodiversity and education. The three-year project's goal is to strengthen biodiversity education at all levels by providing access to data and interactive educational tools. New EfS online journal: London South Bank University (UK) has launched Indicator, a new online journal focusing on education for sustainability. The journal is freely accessible, and downloadable content will be archived to build a valuable resource over time. New publication on mobile devices and interpretation: History in Your Hands: Using Mobile Devices in Heritage Interpretation is a new publication from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Written by Tom Pert, the guide includes case studies on the uses of mobile technology in heritage interpretation, and gives recommendations for equipment, software and further resources. The publication is available at a cost of £4.95 by emailing Lilwen Jones. Social networking site for environmental professionals: Earth Newswire is a professional network and news website driven by people interested in environmental science, ecology and conservation. The site includes member-generated pages, event notices, discussion forums, and photos and videos. Have you got an education resource that you can't do without? Send us your most valuable tools or resources, and we'll include them in an upcoming issue of Education E-update. | | Housekeeping
To subscribe to Education E-update, use our online form. Note that for extra security, we use a "double opt-in" sign-up process. This means that once you fill out the subscription form, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. You must confirm your subscription in order to begin receiving Education E-update. To unsubscribe from Education E-update, simply reply to this email with "unlist" in the subject line. For information about how we protect your privacy, see our Privacy Policy. To reuse content from Education E-update in your own publication, send us an email. Feel free to forward this newsletter, however. | | | | July 2008 | | In the Spotlight This month, we shine the spotlight on the Jardín Botánico de la Universidad de Valencia, Spain. If you would like to be "In the Spotlight", send us an email. Every summer, educators at the Jardín Botánico de la Universidad de Valencia (Spain) prepare for the arrival of more than 100 children who attend the Garden's summer workshops. When the summer programme was launched in 2000, just 20 children ages 3 to 11 were enrolled. Today, the programme has a long waiting list. Space limitations at the Garden restrict the number of participants, but the Garden educators also limit enrolment so that they can work closely with each child. The workshops are designed to help children learn scientific knowledge by focusing on plants. Two week-long programmes, each running for four hours daily, are planned for this year. A programme in June featured cooking classes in order to give an understanding of the plants we eat. Children learned recipes for simple dishes, the advantages of a healthy diet, and how to cultivate the plants used in the cooking. In July, the summer's second programme will examine different types of natural energy that our planet produces, including hydropower and solar energy. The programme will also highlight sustainable energy use. All of the programmes include activities to build respect for the environment. Recycle, reuse and recover are key components of each learning activity. The summer programmes also offer the education staff a change from programmes during the very busy school year. More than 800 schools and 25,000 students visit the botanic garden every year, and the summer programmes are a chance to work at a more relaxed pace where imagination and curiosity are the measurements of success. This change allows staff to begin the new school year in September with renewed energy. For more information about education programmes at the Jardín Botánico de la Universidad de Valencia, visit the Garden's website. | | | | | | What We're Reading  Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest, by Joan Maloof. This book explores the wonders of biodiversity and plant life through a series of natural history essays. A scientist by training, Maloof also writes about the spiritual and inspirational aspects of trees and the natural world. Click on the image to buy this book from BGCI's Amazon bookstore. | | | | | | Get Snapping! A new category, 'World Botanic Garden,' has been included in 2009's Garden Photographer of the Year competition. BGCI will receive 10 percent of the revenue raised through the entries to this category. Funds will be used for our work in environmental education in botanic gardens through training, workshops and conferences. | | | | | | Looking for Back Issues of Education E-update? Visit the E-update archives to read all past issues. | | | | | | Spread the News! Please forward this email to your education colleagues or to others who have an interest in plant-based conservation education. | | | | | | | | | Education E-update is a free e-newsletter published monthly by Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Botanic Gardens Conservation International
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