Meet the professor

Over 1,200 children from junior schools in Leiden and The Hague were taught by a real professor on the university's anniversary.

A professor came to the children’s classroom and told them all about the world of academia. The focus is on curiosity-driven learning: the children carried out various assignments beforehand to learn more about the professor who is coming. 

7 February

The lessons were on Friday 7 February 2025, the day Leiden University celebrated its 450th Dies Natalis.

Preparation

The children discovered more about the professor who coming to their class in six short introductory lessons. These lessons were taught by their own teacher based on a teaching pack provided by the Leiden Science Hub (Wetenschapsknooppunt Leiden) at moments that suited them leading up to the class visit on 7 February.

Dies Natalis

After the lesson by Fijs van Leeuwen in The Hague and Ton Liefaard in Leiden, the children from these classes took a bus to the Pieterskerk in Leiden. There, they took to the stage during the opening of the dies natalis – this year a very special one as the university celebrates its 450th anniversary. Afterwards, they had a guided tour of the Hortus Botanicus, where the exhibition Plants and Planets opened today.