Saturdays 4, 11, 18 October

1-3pm

11-16 years

As seen at the British Science Festival 2025

A brand-new programme for young people delivered by Mindful Garden in collaboration with Liverpool Botanical Trust. Specially designed for curious minds aged 11 and up, this exciting series of three interactive workshops is perfect for inspiring botanists, young scientists, and nature lovers who want to explore the world of plants in a fun and educational way.

These workshops are carefully tailored to support early botany education and inspire a deeper understanding of the natural world, medicine, and local history through hands-on learning. Each session is designed to stand alone, but young people will benefit from attending all three sessions.

Saturday 4 October: Travel back to the 1800s to discover how Victorians identified and documented medicinal plants. After exploring illustrated plant drawings and herbal artefacts, participants will create their own Victorian powders from medicinal plants. 

Saturday 11 October: Discover cutting edge plant research used in drug discovery and use a microscope to zoom in to the unimaginably tiny cell structures of plants.

Saturday 18 October: This workshop will focus on conservation efforts of herbariums: libraries of pressed plants. Learn the delicate art of mounting dried plants on sheets to preserve the species for future research.

Sessions are led by Samantha Cooper, a practice-based, interdisciplinary researcher helping to combat "plant blindness" in relation to medicinal plants through engaging botany-based public activities and exhibitions using “art-science toolkits.” Through her work, she aims to raise public awareness and foster appreciation for these plants, ensuring their survival for future generations.
Samantha is a PhD Researcher at Liverpool John Moores University and Botany Volunteer at Liverpool World Museum Herbarium.