Free Teachers' Open Day 

Wednesday 28th August 2013 10:00am

Discover how the Gardens can be used for quality learning outside the classroom visits. The day will include:

• An introduction to the Gardens' education service. View resources, meet the staff and hear about available teaching sessions
• Tea and coffee on arrival
• Free time afterwards to explore the Gardens at your leisure

To register your place please telephone:

• Non-Birmingham Schools, Deborah Knott on 0121 450 5093
• Birmingham Schools, Juliette Green on 0121 454 0784

All accompanying guests must be paid for but are eligible for reduced entry to the Teddy Bear Picnic event starting at 12pm.

Print off and return our registration form:

Teacher Open Day Registration Form

Special Rainforest Week With Live Animals! 

Monday 9th to Friday 13th December 2013

Live animals brought in to the Gardens by company Tropical Inc, unique talks and more! Join us for this annual popular event where your pupils can participate in a unique presentation on the world's rainforests tailored to your age group. The session will include handling for your pupils of various live animals including snakes, tarantulas and birds. Other animals will be included, according to those kept by Tropical Inc at the time, and past animals have included a genet (middle picture below) and a skunk.

Spend time after your session exploring the Gardens' Tropical Rainforest House where your pupils can experience high humidity and temperature to give them a feel for a real rainforest. Here, you will also be able to explore many different tropical plants including cocoa, bananas, ginger, rubber and coffee.

There are plenty of resources on the Botanical Gardens' website to help you to plan the rest of your day and you will be allocated time to visit to the other 3 glasshouses consisting of Arid, Mediterranean and Subtropical plants, so that your pupils may observe and make comparisions. Of course, you will be able to visit the 15 acres of gardens too, to view the aviaries and themed areas including a Growing Schools Garden and you may wish to carry out one of the trails or activities from our website or have a go at orienteering.

Tropical Inc. have announced their prices will be frozen at last year's special price of just £85 + VAT for each session booked (maximum 30 pupils per session) plus Gardens' entry at a specially reduced price for this week-long occasion. Our usual self-guided charge for Non-Birmingham Schools is £5 per head but  you will pay just £4 per head when booking for this special event. Adults are charged at £1 per head (Birmingham Schools should check with the Outdoor Learning Service on the charges and arrangements for this special week).

Our special rainforest week runs every day from Monday December 9th to Friday December 13th and sessions can be booked for each class that you bring (maximum two classes) at the following times:

10am to 11am, 11am to 12pm, 12.30pm to 1.30pm or 1.30pm to 2.30pm.

To make a booking please contact one of the following telephone numbers: 

0121 450 5093 for schools outside Birmingham Local Authority and Independent Schools

0121 454 0784 for schools within Birmingham Local Authority

Visit Tropical Inc's website for more details or follow them on Facebook.

You might find these documents to be useful for planning this special event:

Tropical Inc Risk Assessment 

Tropical Inc Public Liability Insurance