A young boy with face paint looking over the bridge

School Workshop: Building in Brazil (year 1 and 2)

This workshop takes pupils into the heart of our Biome to get the inspiration to build a rainforest shelter, and encourages them to explore the differences between Brazil and their own home.

Workshop overview

What happens in the workshop

Pupils begin the session in our Core classroom looking at images of homes in Brazil in the UK and talking about similarities and differences between the two countries. We then focus in on Manaus, and the conditions experienced by people who live there.

Supported by a map, the pupils explore the Rainforest Biome with their teachers. They have two tasks running in parallel. Task 1 is all about noticing and recording the physical and sensory experience of being in the rainforest. In task 2 pupils observe and identify 2D shapes used in the structures of the different buildings in the Biome. They record features of the buildings and talk about those features’ links to the conditions.

On returning to the classroom the students use their new knowledge to design and build a rainforest shelter for those ‘renowned rainforest explorers’ (!) Copacabana Ken and Bahia Barbie. They choose from a selection of materials and create their structure before describing and explaining their choices to the group.

Workshop objectives

This workshop enables students to:

think about similarities and differences between the UK and Brazil
identify and talk about 2D shapes
consider materials and structures appropriate for different conditions
select and join materials to achieve a goal.

I was surprised at what Brazil looked like, because I didn’t know there were houses that could float on water.

Participating pupil

Unforgettable school trips

Practical information

How does this workshop support the curriculum?

Where does it take place?

How much does it cost?

Can teachers come along too?

What safety measures are in place?

Accredited workshops at Eden

This workshop is accredited under the British Science Association’s CREST Awards scheme. Completion of the workshop contributes two activities towards a Star Award.