What is it?
Interactions with animals can vary immensely; they can range from big establishments with no animal contact such as zoos, small animals at a farm park.
What does it involve?
The basis of all encounters with animals is to interact with them! Sometimes it may be from a distance to ensure safety on both sides, but you can often get up close; you can train and even ride some animals.
Why do it and what are the benefits?
Spending time with animals has been proven to be beneficial in many aspects of life and development - it can teach things such as compassion, responsibility, and discipline for both yourself and others.
What equipment do we need?
Depending on what sort of animal encounter it is, the equipment involved will vary. For example, riding a horse requires a lot more specialist equipment than stroking a cat! Make sure to check with your destination to see if you need to bring anything.
Who is it suitable for?
Animal encounters are suitable for pretty much anyone - always be careful with smaller children though, as they may not understand how to handle them properly.
Costs?
Can vary from free to reasonably expensive. Grounds that are open to the public and free to enter can often have wildlife roaming around to admire, but more extravagant establishments such as zoos with many more animals will undoubtedly cost more!
Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)
Be aware of allergies when it comes to animal encounters; although mild allergies are much more common, the risk of a student having a severe reaction means you should exercise caution if there is going to be physical contact with an animal.
How do we include?
It will depend entirely on the type of animal encounter, but in general these kinds of activities will be great to include all students in, as everyone can interact with an animal in some manner.
Doing it abroad?
The variety of animals abroad will often vary greatly from our own, and encountering them can be a once in a lifetime opportunity! Foreign nature and safari parks can be great places to visit, so make sure to check out your destination thoroughly to see if there's one you can take a trip to.
Main website:
Check out individual websites for specific information on what's available for you to do!
Hembury and Holne contain two discreet woods on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park.
Perched at the top of Hembury Woods with far reaching views over Dartmoor, the iron-age Hembury Hill Fort gives you a real sense of what it would have been like to live in a protected palisade.
Tucked away on the Suffolk coast, Dunwich Heath offers you peace and quiet and a true sense of being at one with nature.
A rare and precious habitat, the Heath is home to special species such as the Dartford warbler, nightjar, woodlark, ant-lion, adders and much more.
Follow a clifftop walk with breathtaking views of the Jurassic coast with a night under the stars at Prattshayes caravan and campsite.
The Deep is one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world and is home to a whopping 3,500 fish including Europe’s only pair of green sawfish, spectacular sharks and rays and NEW FOR 2014 - a colony of Gentoo penguins.
This stretch of coast between Bude and Morwenstow is one of Cornwall's wild and dramatic corners with a character all of its own. You'll find beaches such as Sandymouth, perfect for rockpooling or surfing, and backdrops of sheer cliffs made of stony clay rock.
Whether you're looking for a short stroll or a more challenging walk there are many exhilarating coastal walks to enjoy.
The Mendip Hills run east-west across Somerset from Frome to Brean Down. Inside they are hiding fascinating secrets such as underground caves and rivers, making the hills a popular centre for caving.
From the outside they reveal centuries of history from the pre-historic at Cheddar to the Iron-Age at Brent Knoll and a Victorian fort at Brean Down.
Situated in the picturesque Chiltern Hills, this group of popular beauty spots offers fabulous walking opportunities. Pleasant day long walks with a pub stop can take you through the intimate landscape of woods, farms and hamlets that make up much of the Chilterns.
Perfect for a walk or picnic, the tranquil, ancient parkland of Dunsland park once befitted the grand house that stood in its midst.
The park is home to a variety of trees, including 700-year-old Sweet Chestnuts and old fruit trees.
Wander around the remaining buildings of Tudor Dunsland House. All apart from the old stable and coach house were lost in a fire in the 1960s.
There's more to Boscastle than a picturesque natural harbour and village.
The Elizabethan quay sits in an impressive amphitheatre of steep cliffs and is home to quaint stone-built cottages, shops and tea-rooms.
WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo lets you experience the animals and ecosystems of a range of Australian habitats, allowing your class to identify the different requirements of Australian flora and fauna.
One of the best visitor attractions on the Isle of Wight to bring your school or group to.
SEA LIFE Aquarium is designed to be a child’s first interactive guide to the life of the sea, combining active, hands-on learning with fascinating educational talks, and opportunities to have up close and personal encounters with a variety of sea creatures.
Take advantage of the SEA LIFE Speyer as an attractive, non-school setting for school class visits. Motivate your students with a trip to where they experience native and tropical habitats of the oceans up close and learn with all senses.
Fordhall Farm is an inspiring example of how farming can become a force for sustainable education and change as well as a producer of fine, local organic food. Located on the outskirts of Market Drayton in North Shropshire, Fordhall Farm is now owned by an Industrial and Provident Society made up of 7500 shareholders from across the UK and further afield.
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is one of Sydney's most popular school excursion venues. See the world's largest collection of Australian aquatic animals on display. There's over 13,000 animals to see representing some 700 different species!
There is so much to see and do at Mary Arden's Farm! Step back in time for all the sights, smells and sounds of a real Tudor farm and explore the house where Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden, grew up.
Experience for yourself the daily routine, skills and crafts that the young William would have known from visits to his grandparents in the 1570s.
SEA LIFE Bray offers an interactive, hands-on visit for schools, groups and birthday parties. With an array of amazing creatures and our helpful and knowledgeable staff on hand to answer questions and offer amazing facts about the creatures that you'll see, this is an inspiring visit for all.
Take advantage of the AquaDom & SEA LIFE Berlin as an attractive, non-school setting for school class visits. Motivate your students with a trip to where they experience native and tropical habitats of the oceans up close and learn with all senses.
Visit one of the last surviving pieces of natural coastline in West Sussex. East Head is an example of the nationally rare and fragile, yet dynamic, sand-dune habitat.
Walk, play and sunbathe on the beach, which is considered one of the best in Sussex. Or just admire the yachts that anchor off the northern end, where you may spot the occasional seal.
Centrally located on the resort side of the island, WILD LIFE Hamilton Island (formerly Hamilton Island Wildlife Park), provides the perfect place for you to get up close and personal with some unique Australian wildlife.
Shanghai Changfeng Ocean World is part of Europe's first and the world's second British Merlin Entertainment Group (Merlin Entertainment Group). It is located in the scenic Changfeng Park, the main building located at 13 meters silver hoe lake. Is a large marine animal shows and aquarium fish exhibition of integrated marine theme park. National youth science education base, Shanghai thematic sc
With thousands creatures on display, a visit to SEA LIFE Kansas City will engage your student’s senses. In addition to the spectacular view from the underwater tunnel, children can get involved at the interactive rockpool by holding a crab or even touching a starfish.
With so much to see and experience you will take learning beyond the classroom and into a new underwater world.
SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium offers an interactive, hands-on visit for schools, groups and birthday parties. With an array of amazing creatures along with our helpful and knowledgeable staff to answer your questions and provide unique facts about the creatures that you'll see, this is an inspiring visit for all.
Bring your class to the newest attraction in Jesolo!
With over 5,000 creatures on display, a visit to SEA LIFE Jesolo will engage your pupils’ senses. In addition to the spectacular view from the underwater tunnel, children can get involved at the interactive rockpool by holding a crab or even touching a starfish.
SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium is a state-of-the-art unique edutainment based aquarium, embarking on a new journey of dedicating resources and efforts to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of the iconic finless porpoise.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.