Head of Design Technology, Miss Abi Wickham, reflects on the department trip to the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens:
“Having selected timbers as our specialist materials for the new GCSE specification, what better place to visit than Kew Gardens?
Their education team put together a bespoke workshop for us, highlighting the different types of timber and, using the Palm House at Kew, allowed pupils to experience first-hand the climate mahogany and ebony thrive in.
Examples of endangered timbers and the products that have historically fed the trade – and therefore illegal logging – of this wood gave pupils the knowledge to form evidence-based arguments for and against the use of such timbers.
We were also fortunate to be able to see the Dale Chihuly artwork currently exhibited at Kew. The newly constructed Hive provided pupils with an opportunity to gain insight into the world of bees and the Treetop walkway gave us all an overview of the tree canopy and opportunity to appreciate the complex ecosystem.
This was a superb day, supported by ideal weather.”
