Whole World Cake

Cross curricular for KS1 or Year 3/4 supporting Science and Geography. 

The Whole World Cake is a worksheet-free session suitable for children from Foundation level through to year 4. Children are invited to help make a cake and are sent around the Garden in search of the ingredients from the plants that produce them. The trail takes them through temperate woodland, into a desert, and into the warm temperate and tropical glasshouses. When they return, the ingredients are put together and the children learn about the countries the ingredients have come from and the people involved in their production. The ingredients go into a 'magic oven' and out comes a Whole World Cake which children can sample.

The introductory talk touches on many aspects of the science curriculum, including when age-appropriate, pollination, adaptation, diversity and uses of plants. In the follow-up session they learn how sugar cane is eaten, how bananas travel across the world to our supermarkets and the price of a banana is distributed and learn about fair-trade.  

For the afternoon: Two or three activities (depending on arrival and departure time) can be chosen from the following:

• Exploring/own activities
• Sketching
• Finding bingo
• Herb activity (inside) matching information and items to six potted herbs and learning how they are used
• Creating a tree picture using natural materials and naming the different plant parts (KS2 with functions)
• Leaf/bark rubbings
• Natural sculptures

Clipboards are available to borrow.

• Availability: All year
• Age group: KS1/2
• Numbers: up to three classes i.e. about 100
• Duration: Full day
• Cost: Please visit our programme costs page
• Allergies: children do not collect or taste any nuts. Upon booking you will receive a copy of the Whole World Cake recipe. We recommend you bring a biscuit / small piece of suitable cake for any children who are unable to eat the Whole World Cake.