Cudham Primary School in Kent is a short walk from Charles Darwin's family home, Down House. 

When Darwin lived in the neighbourhood he visited Cudham school pond and collected some mud from the edge of the pond.  He took the pond mud back to Down House to see what would germinte. 

Cudham School pupils are repeating the experiment to mark the 150 anniversary of The Origin of Species.

Pupil Emily-Jayne says, "We have Charles Darwin’s pond and we can do his experiments. Maybe we can learn lots about animals like he did."

Darwin carefully nurtured his cup full of mud from Cudham's school pond. 



Darwin mentions the experiment in The Origin of Species, "I have tried several little experiments, but will here give only the most striking case: I took in February three table-spoonfuls of mud from three different points, beneath water, on the edge of a little pond; this mud when dry weighed only 6¾ ounces; I kept it covered up in my study for six months, pulling up and counting each plant as it grew; the plants were of many kinds, and were altogether 537 in number; and yet the viscid mud was all contained in a breakfast cup!"

In The Origin of Species Darwin wrote about his surprise at the similary of pond life in Britain and Brazil when there were such striking differences in the natural in land animals. 



This insight is illustrated by this frog found by Cudham Primary pupils while collecting their samples.
 
Within a few days, the mud has started to germinate, just as it would have for Darwin when he collected his samples from Cudham Primary school's pond.

This photograph of green shoots in Rose's experiment is Cudham Primary's latest report from the pond.

Read more from schools inspired by Darwin

How did they do that?

Cudham Primary has Silver status as an Eco-School and is awaiting confirmation of achieving the highest Eco-School award, the Green Flag Award.

As part of this status the school has an Eco-School committee made up of children (aged 5 -11 years old) from across the school, teachers, teaching assistants, and governors (our Eco-Warriors). 

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