HomePrimary schools
Our education team provides tailored services for primary school pupils at Key Stage 1 and 2, including:
- full education visits
- self-guided education visits
- outreach service.
Key Stage 1
Full education and outreach visits cover the following topics:
Let's Look at Animals
This topic aims to get children thinking about a range of ideas, rather than one particular theme.
Pupils are encouraged to study an animal's colours and patterns, texture, movements, food habits and key features.
Colours and Patterns
This is an observation-based topic, which helps pupils gain awareness of different colours, shapes and patterns.
It also begins to examine the reasons why animals have different colours and patterns.
What's for Dinner?
This theme introduces the idea of food chains by looking at the different foods animals eat and the various ways in which they find, catch and eat their food.
During outreach visits, pupils can look at a selection of small animals and examine the food they eat and how they eat it.
During full education visits, children can use a prepared trail to see the animals and study their diets and feeding habits.
Self-guided education visits cover the following topics:
African Animal Trail
This trail takes a look at some of the zoo's African animals and gives pupils an overview of the variety of animals that come from Africa.
A map guides groups around the zoo and accompanying teachers' notes provide information about animals in selected enclosures.
These notes, which are provided as part of your self-guided visit pack, should allow teachers to cover a wide range of topics, from camouflage to conservation.
The pack also provides worksheets for use in the zoo and in the classroom.
Animal Tails
This trail examines the range of colours, shapes, patterns and tails found in the animal world.
It is observation-based and encourages children to spot the differences between animals.
A map guides groups around the zoo and accompanying teachers' notes provide information about animals in selected enclosures.
The pack also provides worksheets for use in the zoo and in the classroom.
Key stage 2
Full education and outreach visits cover the following topics:
All Kinds of Animals
This topic offers a simple introduction to animal classification and looks at the similarities and differences between the five major vertebrate groups.
We can also arrange a short look at some invertebrate animals if needed.
The theme is emphasised by observing a selection of small animals (outreach visits) or visiting the animals in the zoo (full education visits).
Camouflage
This theme explains how animals use different patterns, colours and shapes to help them hide from their prey or predators, to make themselves look attractive to potential mates or prey and to scare off other animals.
Food and Energy
This topic shows children the importance of all parts of the food chain. It examines the role of plants and explores animals' different diets and feeding habits.
Self-guided education visits cover the following topics:
African Animal Trail
This trail takes a look at some of the zoo's African animals and gives pupils an overview of the variety of animals that come from Africa.
A map guides groups around the zoo and accompanying teachers' notes provide information about animals in selected enclosures.
These notes, which are provided as part of your self-guided visit pack, should allow teachers to cover a wide range of topics, from camouflage to conservation.
The pack also provides worksheets for use in the zoo and in the classroom.
Animal Tails
This trail examines the range of colours, shapes, patterns and tails found in the animal world.
A map guides groups around the zoo and accompanying teachers' notes provide information about animals in selected enclosures.
The pack also provides worksheets for use in the zoo and in the classroom.
More information
For more information or to book, call us on 028 9077 6277 (extensions 204 or 228).
