Nature’s Architects: Reintroducing Beavers to Ealing

Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery is offering an exciting new workshop programme for Key Stage 2-year groups celebrating the potential return of beavers to London’s waterways by taking part in The Wild Escape, a major new project hosted by Art Fund uniting hundreds of museums and schools in a celebration of UK wildlife and creativity! Our project supports the work of a group of local conservation organisations, the London Beaver Working Group, by inspiring children to discover the history of this resourceful animal.

Artists and ecologists will work with children in workshops at the gallery and schools, exploring the beaver’s role in our local ecosystem and their abilities as eco-engineers! These workshops will be linked to elements of the Science and Design & Technology curriculums for Key Stage 2. Find out more information and sign up below!

Workshops

Part One – Science

The first part of this special offering involves a workshop delivered by Citizen Zoo, a key member organisation of the London Beaver Working Group. Their ecological educators will visit your school to give an assembly for a year group introducing the beaver as a species and its history in the UK, before conducting workshops in individual classes exploring the beaver’s role as an ecosystem engineer benefitting our local environments. This includes their abilities to create thriving wetlands that store water, reduce flooding, filter pollutants and breathe life into ecosystems!

Part Two – Design & Technology

In the second part of the project, participating school groups will come to Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery for an architecture-focused workshop showing students how to design and construct their own small-scale architectural models, taking inspiration from nature’s architects: beavers! Using recycled and found materials, pupils will investigate sustainable building practices and intuitive design to create buildings that benefit people, their communities, and the environment, just as beavers do!

More Information

Learning Objectives

Curriculum Connections: Science, Design & Technology

These workshops can be booked anytime in the second half of the Spring term from 20 February to 31 March 2023. The project will culminate in an Earth Day celebration for families at Pitzhanger on Sunday, 23 April!

This project is offered free of charge and will be available to up to five Ealing schools. Take advantage of this limited opportunity to link your learning to your local environment!

If you want to book these exciting workshops for your school, please fill out our online booking form. If you would like any further information about the project, please email learning@pitzhanger.org.uk.

The Wild Escape is made possible with support from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, with additional support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Kusuma Trust, Foyle Foundation and a group of generous individuals and trusts.