Home Educator Days

Battersea Park Children’s Zoo is excited to launch home educator days, brand new for 2026!

Battersea Park Children’s Zoo is excited to launch home educator days, brand new for 2026! These interactive sessions give learners the chance to engage in creative practical activities and guided zoo tours alongside meeting new friends from the local home education community.

Book a Home Educator Session

Due to demand, additional repeat sessions of April and May’s topics are being held on the 24th September and 4th November. Please note that these sessions will be identical to the sessions held on Monday 20th April and Friday 22nd May.

Each home educator day is based around a specific theme and led by a member of the zoo education team.

Sessions will run monthly (excluding July and August), with dates being released periodically throughout the year.

Date	Theme	Topics covered
Friday 16th January	What’s on the menu?	Omnivores, herbivores and carnivores. The importance of a correct diet for animal health. Designing animal diets (practical activity).
Wednesday 11th February	Enclosure design	Habitats. The needs of an animal for surviving and thriving. Designing animal enclosures (practical activity).
Monday 2nd March	Animal enrichment	Basic needs of animals for surviving. Habitats. Building enrichment for an animal (practical activity).
Monday 20th April	What makes a mammal?	Classification. Key features of main 5 animal groups. Creating and using keys (practical activity).
Friday 22nd May	Adaptations	Habitats Adaptations and evolution Designing an animal (practical activity)
Monday 8th June	Native wildlife	Britain’s native animals and their importance Ecosystems Bird feeder making (practical activity)
Thursday 24th September	What makes a mammal? (please note, this is a repeat of April’s session)	Classification Key features of main 5 animal groups Creating and using keys (practical activity)
Wednesday 30th September	Invertebrates	Features of invertebrates Importance of invertebrates and threats they face Invertebrate sorting game (practical activity)
Friday 9th October	#ShareSavvy (this session is aimed at children KS2 plus)	Animals and social media Exotic pet trade Design a social media post (practical activity)
Thursday 15th October	Endangered animals	Wildlife Conservation IUCN red list Poster making (practical activity)
Wednesday 4th November	Adaptations (please note, this is a repeat of May’s session)	Habitats Adaptations and evolution Designing an animal (practical activity)
Wednesday 25th November	Zookeeper 101	Animal careers Asking effective questions Q&A with a zookeeper (practical activity)
Monday 14th December	Life in the cold	Arctic vs Antarctic Adaptations for life in the cold Build a polar habitat (practical activity)

Spaces are limited per session to promote a calm and personal learning environment.

Session Times

Two sessions are available on each home educator day and sessions must be pre-booked.

Session 1 (AM): 10:30am – 12:30pm, Session 2 (PM): 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Session Itinerary

Session 1 and 2 will be identical and learners chose to attend one or the other, not both.

Session 1 (AM)	Session 2 (PM)	Activity
10:30am – 11:00am (30 mins)	2:00pm - 2:30pm (30 mins)	Introduction to topic/ice breaker
11:00am – 11:45am (45 mins)	2:30pm – 3:15pm (45 mins)	Zoo tour (with topic-based activities)
11:45am – 12:30pm (45 mins)	3:15pm – 4:00pm (45 mins)	Practical activity

A ticket to the home educator session allows entry to the zoo at any time during the home educator day. Self-led exploration of the zoo will be available outside of session times on the day. Activity books and worksheets are available for download here, should you wish to use them.

Learners will be asked to meet outside the Hive Cabin 5 minutes before the session start time.

Can my child attend?

Our home educator sessions have been designed for learners aged 4 -11 (KS1/KS2). However, children outside this age bracket are welcome to attend if you feel they would enjoy/benefit from the session. Activities can be modified to suit specific learner needs.

Please note, the #ShareSavvy session on Friday 9th October is aimed at learners KS2-KS4.

Pricing

£11.95 per child.

1 free accompanying adult is admitted per child taking part in the session. The accompanying adult must stay with the group at all times and is ultimately responsible for their child.

Any additional adults will require purchasing a zoo admission ticket to enter.

No children will be permitted to take part without a supervising adult.

Please note, this pricing only applies on the specified home educator days to learners attending the home education sessions.

Any siblings under 2 years old are admitted for free, but must be prebooked.

Any siblings over 2 years old in the room will need either a session ticket if taking part, or a regular zoo entry ticket if not taking part.

Click the link below to book your place. Sessions must be prebooked and spaces are limited.

Read the Home Educator Days T&C's

For any questions about the home education programme, please email [email protected]

Book a Home Educator Session

Home Educator Days FAQ's

The majority of the session will take place in the education cabins. There will also be a guided zoo tour. Please meet outside the Hive cabin 5 minutes before the session start time.

Any siblings under 2 years old are admitted for free.

Any siblings over 2 years old in the room, will need either a session ticket if taking part,

or a regular zoo entry ticket if not taking part.

No. Children will not be permitted to take part without a supervising adult.
1 free accompanying adult is admitted per child taking part.

Only 1 free accompanying adult is admitted per child taking part.

Any additional adults will require purchasing a zoo ticket to enter.

Absolutely. A ticket to the home educator session allows entry to the zoo at any time during the booked home educator day.

Our home educator sessions have been designed for learners aged 4-11 (KS1/KS2). However, children outside this age bracket are welcome to attend if you feel they would enjoy/benefit from

All activity sheets, crafting materials and clipboards will be provided. Please bring a pen or pencil and weather appropriate clothing as some of the session will take place outside.

The zoo has a large and well equipped play area including a large sandpit with water features, climbing frames, swings, a wooden fort, real-life fire engine, helicopter and tractor. It is suitable for children aged 18 months to 10 years.

There are 3 council run pay and display car parks within the park; the closest one to the zoo is Chelsea Gate car park.

Please email [email protected]. Who will be happy to assist.

Please refer to the zoo’s general FAQ’s for information about the zoo.

Meet our residents

From meerkats, to monkeys and otters to lizards. Explore what animals we have at our family run Battersea Park Children's Zoo.

Meet our residents

They burn off energy, you relax!

While your children are safely burning off their energy in this stimulating environment, parents and grandparents can enjoy a well-deserved respite. Relax on our comfortable seating or at our picnic tables, perfectly positioned for you to keep a watchful eye on the little ones.

At Battersea Park Children's Playground, we believe in the power of play. Come and experience a place where children can be children, and the joy of play is celebrated every day.