Home Educator Days

Battersea Park Children’s Zoo offers sessions aimed specifically at Home Educating families. 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.

Each home educator day is based around a specific theme and led by a member of the zoo education team. Themes are repeated periodically and new themes indicated with a *.

Sessions with run each month (excluding July and August), with dates being released regularly throughout the year.

Date

Theme

Topics covered

Wednesday 25^th November 2026

Zookeeper 101

*new theme*

· Animal careers

· Asking effective questions

· Q&A with a zookeeper (practical activity)

Friday 11^th December

2026

Life in the cold

*new theme*

· Arctic vs Antarctic

· Adaptations for life in the cold

· Build a polar habitat (practical activity)

Tuesday 12^th January 2027

Invertebrates

· Features of invertebrates

· Importance of invertebrates and threats they face

· Invertebrate sorting game (practical activity)

Thursday 21^st January

2027

Animal Defences

*new theme*

· Predators and prey

· The importance of animal defences

· Staying alive game (practical activity).

Monday 1^st February

2027

Enclosure Design

· Habitats.

· The needs of an animal for surviving and thriving.

· Designing animal enclosures (practical activity).

Wednesday 24^th February

2027

All about Meerkats

*new theme*

· Meerkat habitats, diets and social structure

· Threats and conservation

· Meerkat poster making (practical activity)

Monday 1^st March 2027

Endangered animals

· Wildlife Conservation

· IUCN red list

· Poster making (practical activity)

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

Two sessions are available on each home educator day and sessions must be prebooked.

Session 1 (AM): 10:30am– 12:30pm (20 learner spaces available)

Session 2 (PM): 2:00pm – 4:00pm (12 learner spaces available)

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, 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.

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 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.

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

Sessions must be prebooked and tickets cannot be bought on the day.

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.

Sessions run once a month, every month, excluding July and August.

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.

Please email [email protected]

Tickets are non-refundable, but your booking can be moved to an alternative date/session (subject to availability) providing you have emailed the events team prior to your original session date.

Please email [email protected]

We will create a waiting list for any sold out sessions and you will be contacted if a space becomes available.

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.

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

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 refer to the zoo’s general FAQs 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.