Primary schools programme London

Foundation and Key Stage 1

Abi’s tale (Foundation level)
An interactive story about Abi the lioness, one of the Zoo’s best loved animals. The session introduces ideas about babies and growing up, looking at the differences and similarities between humans and another mammal. The story ends with a visit to see the lions.

Hands-on (Rec - Yr 2)
Investigating hair, feathers and scales. A useful session for language development and understanding that animals can be grouped by their body covering.

Colour, pattern and camouflage (Rec - Yr 2)
Children use images and animal skins to explore the importance of colour, pattern and camouflage in the natural world. This lively session concludes when the children create their own camouflaged animal.

African mini safari (Rec and Yr 1)
Colours and counting are the theme of the day, as your young explorers are guided around our wonderful African mammals.
Autumn and Spring terms only

Lifecycles (Yr 1 and 2)
Your class will find out about growing and changing by enacting the lifecycle of a butterfly and other interactive activities. A fantastic session, especially if followed by a visit to Butterfly Paradise.

Sense-ations (Yr 1 and 2)
Dare you put your hand in the feely bag? Do you know which animals taste with their feet? A fun workshop exploring the senses.

Working together (Yr 1 and 2)
Using interactive games pupils will find out how some animals co-operate to get a job done. Just what could we humans achieve if we took a leaf out of their books?

Key Stage 2

Discover!
A hands-on discovery session that gives your class the chance to explore the animal kingdom through handling a selection of real skins, bones, teeth and skulls. This session develops self-exploration and enquiry skills.
Autumn and Spring terms only

Minibeasts
In this hands-on workshop pupils will discover the variety of invertebrate life and learn how to classify these animals using a combination of keys, live animals and interactive games.

Teeth and Diets
Animal skulls and images are used to teach children about the function of teeth and the different foods animals eat.

Habitats and adaptations
Why do monkeys balance on branches, or meerkats burrow in the desert? These sessions help children think about answers to these questions and to understand animal adaptations to habitats.

Choose from:

• Rainforests of South America
• Desert and Rainforest

Killer jellyfish
An interactive session that encourages children to consider how they can create less waste and protect animals and the environment.

Beautiful birds and their brilliant beaks
Victorians were fascinated by birds – find out why when you see them for yourselves in our newly refurbished Victorian Blackburn Pavilion. From acrobatic rollers snatching insects from the air to hummingbirds drinking nectar, discover how each is perfectly adapted for its particular diet.

African safari
Take our mini safari to see the African mammals and discover some of their amazing adaptations for feeding. Includes watching an animal feeding, where possible.
Autumn and Spring terms only

Why not make your visit in the Autumn or Spring terms and avoid the crowds? There’s lots to see indoors or undercover, especially in the tropical Butterfly Paradise, Gorilla Kingdom, the Rainforest Lookout and BUGS.