THE Royal Highland Education Trust has revealed this year’s programme of entertaining and inspiring activities for the 177th Royal Highland Show.

More than 30,000 children including 300 school groups are expected to take part over the four days of the show, and, building on previous years, the programme offers a wide-ranging mixture of bookable and drop-in events, from forestry to fish, designed to engage and inspire young learners.

Pupils of all ages will have the opportunity to explore healthy eating habits, and can get hands on, cooking up delicious dishes using Scottish produce, including meat in the Quality Meat Scotland cookery theatre. They will also learn about food preparation and minimising food waste with Love Food Hate Waste.

Hands-on food activities continue with grain grinding, oil seed pressing and scone baking as part of an exploration of the life cycles and many uses of cereals. Bees are the focus in the honey tent for an activity workshop on how they make honey, what it tastes like and how to make a beeswax candle.

Seafood is also of great importance to Scotland, and an interactive workshop will tell the story of farmed salmon and the growth of aquaculture as a sustainable food production system.

Marine scientists will be on hand to explore the depth of their work and visitors can try some

fresh, local seafood and learn about potential career paths. Three mini-activities themed around potatoes will introduce primary-aged pupils to how potatoes grow, what happens to them in a packing factory and why they taste so good.

The RSPB will host an interactive session to showcase Scotland’s carried habitats and the birds that call them home. Pupils will learn about RSPB survey techniques and how to ‘give nature a home’ back at school.

Agricultural machinery is literally a huge part of the farming industry and older pupils will have the chance to get up close and personal with some serious kit. Before they know it, they will cover all aspects of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and discover how farmers use STEM every day – from computers and consoles to costs and calibration.

RHET communications officer Fraser Dunn said: “We are very much looking forward to this year’s education programme in the Discovery Centre on Avenue Q. With the Centre’s recent refurbishment, courtesy of Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick Ltd and Richmack Ltd, along with the help of new and returning volunteers, we are hopeful that school groups and visitors alike will have a fantastic time at the show.”