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Exploring Eden
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Exploring Eden
Exploring Eden

Learning

Discover completely free educational opportunities that help children discover and connect with the fascinating world of Eden’s rivers. 

Whether you're teaching in a classroom or supporting learning at home, we have a range of engaging resources and sessions designed to enrich your curriculum.

Learning Resources - Teacher CPD – Education Programmes

Children's heads bent over a white tray filled with water. They are looking for aquatic insects. Scattered near them are dishes to place insects and an ID key Children's heads bent over a white tray filled with water. They are looking for aquatic insects. Scattered near them are dishes to place insects and an ID key

River Irthing

River Eden

River Petteril

We’re passionate about helping children and young people build a meaningful connection with nature—starting with Eden’s incredible rivers.

Through our free online resources, CPD training for teachers, and learning programmes, we aim to support teachers and educators across the Eden Catchment in delivering meaningful, curriculum-linked opportunities that foster a deep understanding of our vital relationship with rivers and empower the next generation to care for and protect these precious environments.

“If children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it.
And if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it.
And if they don’t protect it. Who will?”

- Sir David Attenborough

Download free resources

Enrich your rivers topic with our curriculum-linked resources, designed to focus on your local rivers and support both classroom and outdoor learning. 

We’ve arranged the materials in a suggested order to help guide your teaching or to build your own subject knowledge before selecting the most suitable resources for your school’s needs. 

If you have any questions or would like support to get started, please contact Tania, our Outdoor Learning Manager at [email protected] 

You may also be interested in our Teacher CPD opportunities (below), especially if you're looking to develop confidence in delivering outdoor learning by—or even in—your local stretch of river.

All materials are free to use and reproduce for educational purposes. Copyright © Eden Rivers Trust

1. Journey down the Eden

ArcGIS StoryMap and worksheet

Journey down the Eden

2. River detectives

Film and activity sheets

River Detectives

3. Eden's amazing creatures

Activities, information and useful links

Eden's Amazing Creatures

4. The adventurous salmon

Book and activity sheets

The Adventurous Salmon

5. Act for Eden's rivers

Film and activity sheets

Act for Eden's rivers

6. Bash the balsam!

Bash the Balsam book cover with pink flowers, water, hills and a grey heron in the foreground.

Book, video, game

Bash the Balsam

7. Make a scrap-motion movie – ideal for home learners

Instructions, videos and templates

Make a scrap-motion movie and stand up for rivers!
Two women are sitting on a pebbly riverbank. They are looking at a white tray with water and insects in it and are referring to a key to try to identify the insects.

River Eden

Teacher CPD: Bring Eden’s rivers into your curriculum

Thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Ernest Cook Trust, we are able to provide CPD courses - free of charge!

Discover how rivers can inspire learning across subjects—from creative writing to geography fieldwork. Our CPD programme helps teachers embed Eden’s rivers into their curriculum in meaningful and exciting ways.

Spring CPD Offer: We provide a blended CPD experience for teachers in the Eden catchment area (including Geography and Science Leads, Visit Leaders, and EVCs) of two online twilight sessions and one full-day field trip

Interested? Contact Tania, our Outdoor Learning Manager on 01768 866788 or email [email protected] if your cluster group or school would like to take part.

Field trip highlights:

  • Planning and risk-assessing safe river visits

  • Running engaging riverside activities (e.g. sketch mapping, literacy and numeracy tasks)

  • Conducting in-river fieldwork, including river dipping and invertebrate sampling

Workshops and education programmes

We’re currently offering our popular Primary School workshops and education programmes free of charge to schools in selected areas of the Eden Catchment, as part of our Access to Eden: Breaking barriers, building bridges project, which helps communities explore, enjoy, and take action for their local river. 

If your school is in one of these areas, we’ll be in touch to invite you to take part. 

We aim to support school staff in developing the knowledge and confidence to lead future field trips to your local river. 

If you're planning a rivers topic and would like advice or support, please get in touch with Tania, our Outdoor Learning Manager at [email protected] to find out how we can help.