Talks and Tours for Foundation and Key Stage 1

Please note, we are not able to offer talks to groups with children aged three or under.

Caring for Animals

One of our keepers will take the group on a tour of some of the animals in either:

The walled garden  - where they will see a selection of small mammals such as meerkats, otters, lemurs, tamarins, squirrel monkeys and sloths, as well as a selection of birds that may include penguins, parrots, hornbills, kookaburras and road runners. This talk will normally start at the penguin enclosure and end in our Madagascar enclosure. (Please note, we are unable to offer this tour in June or July, as the Park is too busy to make it viable.)

Or

The children’s farm and walk through/lake area – where they will see a selection rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, pigs, dwarf zebu, cranes, tapirs, peccaries, capybaras, wallabies and wolves. This talk will usually start at the children’s farm barn and finish on the walk through lake area. This talk may incorporate the handling of some domestic animals.
In either case, the keeper will carry a selection of food items for some of the animals and answer the children’s questions about them whilst feeding the animals.

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The Life of Plants

One of our team of gardeners will use the plants in the walled garden to explain how seeds grow into plants and examine a range of plant leaves, stems and flowers of native and exotic species, including cacti, tree ferns and tropical plants. (If the weather is wet, this tour will spend a good portion of its time in the tropical house.)

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Touch Table [classroom] Designed for reception classes

Using our themed rainforest room and collection of animal artefacts, pupils have the chance to handle a range of objects, including rhinoceros horns, elephant tusks, turtle shells and snakeskins as well as a selection of skulls, teeth and other HM Custom confiscations. (This is an indoor session in our rainforest themed classroom.)

How Animals Feed [classroom] Designed for KS1 classes

Using our collection of teeth and skulls, we look at the size and shape of different animal’s teeth and how these are adapted to their food and feeding methods. (This is an indoor sessions in our rainforest themed classroom.)