If you are taking kids to the The Royal Highland Show, this is the place you need to head to. The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) puts on an outstanding display at the Discovery Centre on Avenue Q.

This year there is another action packed education programme in store for schools and families attending. More than 30,000 children and 300 school groups are expected to engage and discover more about food, farming and rural life during the four days of the show.

There is a wide-range of bookable and drop-in activities in The Discovery Centre on Avenue Q – from baking scones, making your delicious smoothie under pedal power to Q&A sessions with a farmer. During Thursday and Friday, school groups can also link up with one of our volunteers for a tour around the Showground.

RHET are delighted to have continued backing from Quality Meat Scotland to run the very popular QMS Scotch Beef Cookery Theatre. Children will have the opportunity to learn about a balanced diet, while preparing fresh ingredients to create their own healthy and tasty dishes using Scottish products. Be ready for sensory overload!

If cooking isn't your thing, then why not try your hand at horticulture with Dobbies who are also supporting the centre. Their Little Seedlings Club is free to join with children aged 4-10 able to sign up to learn 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 pupils about Scotland’s forestry industry. The uses of wood will also be explored through the use of a touchscreen, and a variety of wood products will be on display.

Scones are on the menu for the bakery corner this year, with an option of a sweet or savoury on offer. Aldi will once again kindly be supplying the ingredients for the young bakers, as well as the fruit for the delicious smoothies.

Sights, as well as smells, will be on offer in an engaging seafood area. With 2018 being the Year of Young People, a variety of Scotland's sea and marine life will be investigated to find out what Scottish seas and lochs can do for your health and wellbeing, and how we can achieve sustainable seas for our future. An interactive challenge with a ‘fishtastic’ school will also make an appearance.

The honey marquee will be buzzing with activity again this year, an ideal stop off near to the west entrance of the showground. In the marquee, youngsters will be able to experience what it is like to be a beekeeper, try to find the queen bee in an observation hive, find out how bees make honey, taste some honey and make a beeswax candle.

The Presidential Marquee is also worth a visit, where there will be information on the careers in agriculture, highlighting work experience opportunities in the Lothian’s area. Other organisations will have sessions on agricultural machinery and land-based engineering, wildlife conservation, food production sustainability, plant production and science, and power safety. There will also be activities at the Marks & Spencer’s tent, LANTRA, the Countryside Area, Forestry Arena and the World War I Exhibition.

Please visit RHET at the Discovery Centre on Avenue Q, open 9am – 5pm every day and find out more about our work, sign up to become a RHET Supporter, enter our fabulous raffle and pick up a Tram Trail Bingo form to be in with a chance to win an iPad thanks to Edinburgh Trams.