Thousands of schoolchildren to tune in to live lessons around the world

The Eden Project will be streaming live from the rainforest to thousands of schoolchildren around the UK for Protecting Our Planet Day 2024 on November 12 (POP24).

The annual event, which last year saw 180,000 children tune in across multiple sessions, is free for all schools and educators to take part. The sessions are led by leading experts working to tackle climate change, restore nature and inspire positive action for the planet.

Participants will have the opportunity to tune in live to interact with experts around the world, including joining researchers aboard the RSS Sir David Attenborough as it journeys to Antarctica, mission control experts from the European Space Agency and the Eden Project’s tropical Rainforest Biome, which saw 20,000 students tune in at last year’s event.

The Eden Project’s live lesson will take primary school pupils on a virtual field trip around the Rainforest Biome, taking in mangroves, coconut palms, coffee and bamboo.

They will learn about the world’s tropical rainforests and the crucial role they play in the fight against climate change despite only covering 2-3 per cent of the world’s surface.

Robbie Kirkman, education team lead at the Eden Project, said: “As an educational charity, connecting people with nature is fundamentally at the heart of what we do, so it’s incredible to be able to connect tens of thousands of school children around the UK with our Rainforest Biome here in Cornwall.

“Tropical rainforests are some of the most biodiverse-rich environments on Earth, yet an area the size of our Rainforest Biome (or two football pitches) is lost every 11 seconds to deforestation.

“Our live lesson will delve into the ways we can all feel empowered to take actions to protect these vital habitats.”

The Eden Project’s National Wildflower Centre will also lead a session on the importance of wildflowers for protecting biodiversity across the UK, which has been depleted of 97% of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s.

Secondary students will journey inside the Eden Project’s geothermally-heated plant nursery, Growing Point, the home of the National Wildflower Centre, to learn how and why wildflower meadows are created and how participants can create their own at school or home.

POP24 is a collaboration between the UK Space Education Office (ESERO-UK) at STEM Learning and the European and UK Space Agencies.

To find out more about POP24 and sign up for the Eden Project’s live lessons, visit www.stem.org.uk/enrichment/protecting-our-planet-day.