Year three students have visited The Eden Project in Cornwall as part of their ‘Amazing Amazon’ topic.

The trip gave the children from Stowford School in Ivybridge a real insight into the different climate needed for the plants of the Amazon to grow, as well as allowing the children to learn how plants adapt to life in the tropics, how humans can use them for survival, and how the indigenous people of the Amazon use different plants in their daily lives.

The children were given the opportunity to train as a rainforest ranger, learning what life is like for rangers working in the rainforest, and how such individuals survive and thrive in such a different environment to our own. The objects often used in the rainforest were passed around, and the children were encouraged to consider what the objects and artefacts might be used for.

Following this, the children enjoyed a guided tour of the famous Rainforest biome. The children were able to see abandoned huts and waterfalls, and they learnt how the plants in such an environment often provide essential resources such as water, food and shelter.

A spokesperson for Stowford School said: “This activity allowed the children to see how plants are adapted for life in the tropics and how humans can use them for survival and how the indigenous people of the Amazon use different plants in their everyday life.” During their visit, the children also visited the Mediterranean biome. The children were able to compare the plants in the cooler and drier climate with those in the highly humid Rainforest biome before their journey back to Ivybridge.

Year three teacher Lynsey Hughes said: “The children are so lucky to have the opportunity to touch, feel and smell the rainforest. It really helped the children appreciate how different the rainforest environment and climate is, particularly the humidity, compared with where we live.”