Education is an important element of The Royal Highland Show every year. More than 30,000 children and 300 school groups are expected to learn and discover more about food, farming and rural life during the four-day event (21 -24 June).

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) with their programme of engaging and inspiring activities linked to curriculum-based learning are back again this year. Their theme this year is Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) and will run the majority of the education activities.

Building on the success of previous years, RHET’s programme offers a wide-ranging mixture of bookable and drop-in activities both in the RHET’s Discovery Centre and across the showground, from baking sweet and savoury scones to ‘Ask a farmer’ question sessions, designed to engage young learners about rural life, and the journey food takes, from farm to fork.

Everyone can learn about a balanced diet whilst preparing fresh ingredients to create your own healthy and tasty dishes using Scottish products. This is being run again by Quality Meat Scotland in their very popular Scotch Beef Cookery Theatre. Another hands-on food activity is smoothie making with pedal power on a bike.

Back again this year is the seafood area, showcasing Scotland’s sea and marine life. Explaining what the contents of Scottish seas and lochs can do for your health and wellbeing and how we can achieve sustainable seas for our future.

Dobbies will be on site with their hands-on Seedlings Club where children aged 4-10 will discover about plants, wildlife and the benefits of gardening for the environment.

Technology in the industry will be showcased by an interactive forest machine simulator and virtual reality headsets which will teach children about the forestry industry. Agricultural machinery is an important part of farming, and older children will have the chance to get up close and personal with some serious kit in a tractor cab simulator with all the latest GPS technology.

RHET Manager, Katrina Barclay said, “We are very much looking forward to this year’s education programme in the Discovery Centre on Avenue Q. With the Centre’s sensory overloads, exciting line up of activities and with the help of our returning volunteers, 2018 is set to be as fun fuelled as ever for school groups and children of all ages.”

She continued, “School groups looking to attend the Show can book online via the RHET website (www.rhet.org.uk). To find out more about RHET’s work in agriculture and rural education you can visit our website. You can also sign up here to become a RHET supporter or volunteer.”

With 2018 being the year of young people, there will be information on careers in agriculture highlighting work experience opportunities in the Lothian’s area, and how STEM skills can be used to carve out a career in the industry.

The Discovery Centre on Avenue Q is open every day of the four-day event, 9am-5pm. For children aged 15 and under accompanied by an adult it is free to attend The Royal Highland Show.

www.royalhighlandshow.org, @ScotlandRHShow and #HighlandShow

www.rhet.org.uk @TheRHET