Workshops
Mindful Garden
Mindful Garden helps children learn botany; the branch of science concerning plants, through explorative and interactive plant-based activities.
As an art-science multi-disciplinary project, it promotes fun and exciting hands on learning for children with botany through engagement with scientific processes and artistic visualisation. The aim is to explore plants through the senses with the hope to prevent "plant blindness".
We offer a variety of different workshops including:
Plant preservation, microscopy, working with chemical reagents, propagation and growing, cooking victorian medicine, leaf printing, botanical art, wreath making, botanical soaps and more.
Exhibited with British Science Festival, Growing Sudley, Science+Media Museum, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Glastonbury Festival 2023, Sefton Palm House, World Museum, Eureka! Science + Discovery and Liverpool John Moores University.
About
"fun is another word for learning"
Botany is an important branch of science that researches plant classification, properties and cell structure. Learning about plants is essential for understanding our natural world and is an example of a STEM subject. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM subjects are proven to help with obtaining transferable skills, increase employability and promote meaningful change, which puts emphasis on why it is important for children to learn Botany. More recently STEAM integrates art into STEM, as research suggests 57 percent of leaders value soft skills such as art more than hard skills. Likewise, Botany is a research subject that aids environmental care, and fits within the Green Sector. The Green Sector can be described as the "focus on restoring the natural environment", again supporting the argument why this project is so valuable for children.
It is argued that traditional science education methods such as presentations within the classroom and textbooks can be disinteresting for children and lacks hands-on learning through seeing and doing. Interactive learning is about giving children an all-rounded experience by introducing real experience rather than focusing on the theoretical side. The idea behind interactive learning is about comprehending information rather than to memorise it, click here for more information. I am interested in finding out more about this, and hence my first workshop, “Mindful Garden: Visualising the Unseen" was born. I have a passion for educating others about plants, and I argue we each should connect and interact with nature to understand the natural world that we live in.
See below some examples of different workshops in a variety of formats including 3 hour sessions and 10 minute drop ins:
British Science Festival 2025
Future Workshop
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.
For more information click here
British Science Festival 2025
Present Workshop
Discover cutting edge plant research used in drug discovery and use a microscope to zoom in to the unimaginably tiny cell structures of plants.
For more information click here
British Science Festival 2025
Past Workshop
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.
For more information click here
Sefton Palm House
April 2024
Samantha ran a plant-based workshop during the Easter half-term for local children living in Liverpool as part of the Sefton Palm House Family Programme. The workshop is a fun way to interact and learn. The aim of the workshop is to explore plants through the senses and investigate the unseen using microscopes. Visualising the unseen helps children learn botany, a branch of science that concerns plants, through explorative and interactive plant-based activities. As an art-science multi-disciplinary project, it promotes fun and exciting hands-on learning for children by engaging them with scientific processes and artistic visualisation.
For more information click here
Daresbury Sci-Tech
July 2023
Organised by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Daresbury Laboratory Open Week is one of the largest public engagement events in the UK, taking place once every four years. The open day attracted over 6,500 visitors to the SciTech Daresbury campus, where they were immersed in a vibrant and welcoming STEM atmosphere and learned about the innovative work being done across the North West of England. LJMU researchers participated in the Wonder Marquee Science Fair, named after STFC's Wonder Initiative, which aims to connect people from all backgrounds with science and technology. The Wonder Marquee hosted LJMU staff and students from the Astrophysics Research Institute, FaceLab, and the Art in Science Masters over the week, all of whom had many inspiring, hands-on scientific activities ready for visitors to engage with.
For more information click here
Science + Media Museum
May 2023
Samantha has been established as an independent contractor, delivering plant-based workshops at events such as "Meet the Scientist" facilitated by the Science + Media Museum. These workshops provide science access to children from low-deprivation postcode areas through STEAM education.
For more information click here
Inclusive for all ages!
Kids had lots of fun, very engaging and would love to attend again in the future! Loved the educational aspect. They are home educated and I'm looking to educate them more on these things.
Very interesting combining art and science and botany!