New Nature Heroes x Nat Geo Kids activities at Kew’s Sussex site
Nature Heroes: Seed Seeker: Saturday 19 October – Sunday 3 November 2024
Tickets are on sale now.
Pre-booking essential
Wakehurst, Sussex
- New Nature Heroes x Nat Geo Kids activities launching at Wakehurst
- This October half-term, children can gain their new Seed Seeker badge
- Children aged 16 and under go free year-round
- Marks the start of celebrations for the Millennium Seed Bank’s 25th anniversary
Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, has announced an exciting new collaboration with National Geographic Kids magazine, spanning the next three years. Families can enjoy affordable and unforgettable days out, with interactive trails that bring the pages of Nat Geo Kids magazine to life, engaging young minds and fostering a passion for the natural world. Wakehurst hopes that this collaboration will bring in new explorers and existing fans of Nat Geo Kids to the gardens, through a long-term family programme, supplemented by webinars and competitions.
This October, children can play the role of a seed scientist on their Nature Heroes: Seed Seeker adventure, as they follow the seed banking process from start to finish. This forms the ninth mission in the Nature Heroes programme, a much-loved activity in many families’ holiday calendars. Against the backdrop of the iconic Millennium Seed Bank, a two-metre-high walkie-talkie marks the beginning of their mission to successfully bank a mystery seed. A winding trail of sentrsory activities such as a cypher wheel, ‘feely boxes’, periscopes and ‘Weird but True’ trivia, will bring global seed research to life in an accessible way, for the local community.
Graduating with their first Nature Heroes Academy badge, young adventurers will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to inspire them to become the next generation of conservationists or seed scientists, ready to come back for their next adventure. This collaboration also kicks off a year of celebrations at Wakehurst, as 2025 marks the Millennium Seed Bank’s 25th anniversary. For a quarter of a century, the world’s largest store of wild plant seeds has banked, studied, and safeguarded over 2.4 billion seeds from over 40,000 different species. Through programmes such as Nature Heroes x Nat Geo Kids, families are invited to return to Wakehurst to experience and celebrate the invaluable work of the Millennium Seed Bank, becoming passionate stewards of our planet’s precious plant biodiversity.
Eva Owen, Programmes Manager at Wakehurst, commented:
“Wakehurst is delighted to collaborate with National Geographic Kids magazine to bring the wonder of the natural world to life for young minds. As children partake in each Nature Heroes x Nat Geo Kids activity, they’ll learn more about the crucial role that seeds, plants and fungi play in our lives. We hope that this three-year programme will inspire young nature lovers as they explore our beautiful and diverse landscapes and discover how the gardens are a living laboratory for science with a global impact.”
Louise Ioannou, Marketing Director at National Geographic Kids magazine, added:
“National Geographic Kids magazine is thrilled to launch our three-year collaboration in the stunning grounds of Wakehurst this autumn. Not only does the fun and educational nature trail bring our much-loved children’s title to life, the Seed Seeker adventure is also designed to inspire a passion for nature and spark curiosity in young explorers – core values of both Nat Geo Kids and the Nature Heroes programme.”
