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!
A wildlife habitat offering many outdoor and leisure activities, such as adventure playgrounds, fishing, bird watching, sailing and cycling.
Staunton Harold is a wildlife habitat offering many outdoor and leisure activities, such as adventure playgrounds, fishing, bird watching, sailing and cycling, as well as countryside walks for those who want to explore the region.
A riding school offering lessons and great hacks, with a choice of over 50 horses, plus ponies for children. Suitable for all levels of ability. Regular fun rides held throughout the year.
School Adventures at Chessington
Drayton Manor is a fun-filled theme park near Tamworth with rides like Apocalypse, Maelstrom and Pandemonium, animals and of course Thomas Land, home of Thomas the Tank Engine. There's even a 4D cinema and a Dino Trail.
School Visits
SEA LIFE Manchester offers an interactive, hands-on visit for schools and groups. 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.
Situated right on the sea-front next to Brighton's iconic pier, SEA LIFE Brighton is the world's oldest operating aquarium and provides a fascinating insight into life below the waves.
Looking for family attractions and things to do in Istanbul? Visit Istanbul SEA LIFE Aquarium, located in Forum Istanbul Shopping Mall and home to an exciting collection of sea creatures.
Famous for its mussels, the fishing village of Brancaster Staithe lies on the shores of the beautiful north Norfolk coast. Follow the history of the fishing industry at Brancaster Quay, enjoy one of the many courses available at the flagship Brancaster Activity Centre.
At the Royal Victoria Park there are a wide range of activities that you can enjoy.
Wildlife and Habitats
Escape to a rural retreat just a few miles south-west of Bristol, where'll you discover fantastic views from the ridge across the Severn estuary to Wales and north back to Bristol. Enjoy peaceful woodlands and babbling brooks.
This rare example of a self-sufficient 18th-century Welsh minor gentry estate has survived virtually unaltered.
The villa, designed in the 1790s, is the most complete example of the early work of John Nash. It has its own service courtyard with dairy, laundry, brewery and salting house, and walled kitchen gardens (with all its produce for sale when in season).
Golders Hill Park’s landscaped grounds contain beautiful plant displays including the peaceful Mediterranean and water gardens, a popular café and a bandstand.
Zoo
Golders Hill Park is home to a free zoo, with a growing collection of rare and exotic birds and mammals such as laughing kookaburras, ring-tailed lemurs and ring-tailed coatis.
The western shore of Windermere is perfect for a car-free adventure for all the family. Why not travel over on the ferry from Bowness? In less than 15 minutes you’ll leave the busy eastern shore behind you and arrive at the naturally beautiful west shore.
From here you can discover the mystical heights of Claife Viewing Station and learn about its colourful history.
A delightful piece of late Elizabethan playfulness. Built for banquets and converted into a mill in the 19th century.
Take a short boat trip to this wild and remote shingle spit, the largest in Europe.
Follow trails through a stunning landscape and a history that will both delight and intrigue.
Discover an internationally important nature reserve littered with debris and unusual, often forbidding, buildings from a sometimes disturbing past.
Visit Combe Wood, 10 acres of mixed ash and oak woodland.
Criss-crossed with pathways, this is the perfect place for a sheltered walk on a warm day and a favourite for local residents.
In spring time the wood is transformed by a carpet of vibrant bluebells and purple orchids.
Outridge is an 80 acre farm set on the side of Toy's Hill. It has an impressive grade 2 listed square oast house and piggery located in its centre and is home to the Octavia Hill basecamp.
In the heart of Pollok Country Park, this award-winning building houses a unique collection in a beautiful woodland setting. The Burrell Collection is one of the greatest ever created by one person, comprising over 8,000 objects.
A beauty spot of the South Pennines with more than 160 hectares (400 acres) of unspoilt woodland.
As well as being the home of the northern hairy wood ant, there are tumbling streams, glorious waterfalls and stacks of millstone grit, all crisscrossed by more than 15 miles (24km) of footpaths.
Lying on the north western edge of the Lake District National Park, Ennerdale is home to some of England’s most vibrant natural environments and one of the longest running wild land restoration projects in the UK.
The St Just coast boasts spectacular cliffs which lead from turbulent Atlantic seas, to a flat plateau of granite, capped by small agricultural fields. Here, since the Bronze Age, tin has been pulled and pushed out of the earth.
The Heddon Valley set in the West Exmoor coast was the favourite landscape of the Romantic Poets.
A charming small museum with collections of agricultural and domestic tools from Lynton and Exmoor. Also maritime, railway, and natural history. Unique pictures of the Lynmouth Flood, and a Victorian dolls' house.
Housed in Lynton's oldest surviving domestic dwelling, it even includes its own ghost!
Natural History
Set a mere four miles from Stonehenge, Netheravon Dovecote is a charming yet practical building - and an excellent example of an early 18th century dovecote. It still retains most of its original 700 chalk nesting boxes.
Undisturbed by cars, the island encompasses a small village with an inn and Victorian church, and the 13th-century Marisco Castle.
There's also a disused lighthouse to discover. Called the Old Light, it offers superb views over the north part of the island.
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.