Our Global Garden

Gordon Gnome is a friendly character who introduces the children to their journey in short cartoons on the outside walls and adds extra interest to the exploration by hiding in each garden. The gallery is divided into seven areas, the last one being the Ideas Garden. Take an interactive tour of the gallery...

The Town Garden

• Investigate the outside wall of a town house to find out which creatures live there
• Look through the traffic window which shows different ways to get to school
• Turn a tap to follow the journey of water from a rain cloud to your tap
• Stand on the footprints and reveal the creatures which live under a paving slab
• Move the town creatures to their country home and back
• At the recycle bins make choices about where to put materials
• Look up to see a motorway in the sky or look down to see the squelchy paving slabs
• Listen to the noisy sounds of a town
• Did you find Gordon?
• Look through the Rat’s eyes to find out how they see?

The Jungle Garden

• Listen to the jungle noises and look at the colours
• Explore the trees to find out about: events which happened during the tree’s lifetime; some of the things which we take from the jungle; why we shouldn’t take too much
• Which creature is hidden in the last tree stump?
• Can you put the jungle creatures together?
• Dress up as animals in the hut
• Stand on the footprints before you leave the jungle to reveal a flying creature
• Where was Gordon hiding?
• Look closely at the spiders
• Are you brave enough to try a feely box?

The Ice Garden

• Listen to the sounds and look at the colours of the polar regions. Go inside an igloo and dress up
• Build an igloo
• Pull the lever on the seasons board to see how the creatures change from summer to winter
• Listen to Gordon talking about water from inside an icicle
• Make a wax rubbing of your favourite snowflake
• Try to catch a fish like a penguin or a seal
• Snuggle up to a polar bear and huddle with the penguins

The Desert Garden

• Look at the colours and shapes and listen to the sounds
• Follow the tracks to find the creatures hiding
• Feel the hot rocks then go inside the Bedouin tent to see the stars and glowing eyes
• Look at the globe to reveal where the Earth’s deserts are
• Go to the well and lift out the buckets of water
• Did you find Gordon in the sky?

The Ocean Garden

• Explore the rock pool
• Turn the handle to make the wind turbine work and surf on the surfboard to light up the city
• Make your way through the sea kelp forest
• On the shipwreck, puff up a puffer fish, listen to the electric eel crackle and find the camouflaged fish
• Watch the graceful jellyfish and eerie octopus
• Listen at a conch shell to hear the sea and look through the fish-eye portholes to see like a fish
• Watch the wooden sea wall. Some very big and scary sea creatures will appear!
• Who found Gordon?

The Country Garden

• Listen to the sounds of the country
• Press the buttons to watch and listen as Gordon shows and tells you about the four seasons
• Pull down on some vegetable roots to find out what grows above and below the ground
• Place different products on the places they come from
• Peek into a hedgerow at the plants and animals
• See some of the different ways that land is used
• Did Gordon surprise you?

Positive Steps

• Meet Nanuq, a polar bear from the Arctic, who is suffering from the effects of global warming as his habitat rapidly diminishes.
• Find out how, through changes to your use of electricity and transport, you can boost the polar bear’s chances of survival.
• Find out how to save energy by turning lights off and by walking instead of driving.