Making science accessible is a year-round commitment for Edinburgh Science. Our involvement in the community includes working with local centres and organisations to break down barriers and create more opportunities to engage with science.
We create strong relationships with community groups in and around Edinburgh to deliver bespoke activities in underserved areas and to make STEM outreach more accessible. For example, in 2019 we developed a brand-new health, wellbeing and nutrition workshop – the Great Plate, with the support of National Lottery Awards For All.
Typically during our annual Science Festival, our community engagement work involves providing complimentary tickets and specialised events to partner organisations, including transport where possible, and delivering science shows with our Busking Bikes in areas that rank highly on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
Sensory Seashore Scrapbook
It's time to open your eyes, your hands and your nostrils to life on the coastline! The Sensory Seashore Scrapbook is a self-led trail exploring life on our coasts and how to experience it using all of our senses. Through a series of activities for the whole family, you will experience the sea in a more sensational way, using our guide to note down what you find. You can try the activities on any part of the coast – in Scotland that's over 18,000km to choose from! To take part in the Sensory Seashore Scrapbook:
Our Colourful Parks
Edinburgh is packed with parks! These green spaces are really important for our health and the health of the city – but it’s not just green you can find there! Our parks are full of colourful plants, animals and other creatures just waiting to be found. What are you waiting for? Our Colourful Parks is a self-led tour around our urban green spaces for all the family. While a bigger park might give you a chance to see more wildlife, you can try out our challenges in any green space around the city or further afield! To take part in Our Colourful Parks: - Print out the guide or download it onto a mobile device and take along some paper to make your nature notes. Remember a pen and colouring pencils if you want them! - Choose your challenge - Choose a park or a number of parks to visit - If you want, you can download apps like iNaturalist or PlantNet to help you identify species - Share pictures or drawings of what you find using #EdSciFest and #OurColourfulParks
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