We offer a range of education sessions for Primary and Secondary schools with the Bute Park Education Officer. We can also design tailor made education sessions that cover a specific topic or meet the needs of your group.
Bringing young people into close contact with the natural environment encourages an interest in the world around them.
An educational visit to Bute Park can help pupils to understand the importance of plants and animals and can provide learning material to accompany school curriculum.
Education sessions are available for either a half day (£3 per pupil) or a full day (£5 per pupil).
We charge for a minimum of 15 pupils.
Please remember our learning sessions/workshops take place outside so you need to come prepared for the weather and to be out and about enjoying Bute Park.
Education sessions for Primary and Secondary Schools
- What lives in the park?
- Mini Beast Hunting - Bugs, slugs and wriggly things
- Trees, trees and more trees
- Woodland games and challenges
- Bute Park and Cardiff Bay Boat Trip
- River Taff Explorer
- Gerry’s Story – A giraffe who gets lost in Bute Park
- Art in the park: Environmental art and the park’s sculptures
What lives in the park?
Become woodland detectives to see what you can find - a feather, a hole in a tree or maybe even some nibbled nuts. Spend the session exploring different areas of the park. We will discuss where animals live and what signs to look for in their habitat. Children will take part in games and activities to enrich their outdoor learning. Keep a look out for different animals on our wildlife cameras. Book a session
Mini Beast Hunting - Bugs, slugs and wriggly things
Find out what creatures live in the park. Children will use identification charts to identify what they find.
What is an invertebrate? What makes them different and how do they move around the park?
Children will take part in a range of fun and exciting activities and games to explore the world of bugs, slugs and wriggly things.
Find out about bees, their role and how important they are in helping the environment.
We answer some of the commonly asked questions about bees:
- What is the difference between Honey bees, solitary bees or bumble bees?
- Which bees live in Bute Park?
- How do honey bees make honey?
- What do bees eat?
Children will take part in fun and informative games and activities out in the park.
See our honey bee hives in action on our wildlife cameras.
Trees, trees and more trees
Bute Park is the home to over 3,000 trees. Many are part of our Arboretum, a special collection of trees, which includes 40 champion trees.
During the session we will study different leaves, play games and complete activities including bark rubbing.
We will also spend time exploring trees and asking some questions:
- What is a tree?
- What lives in trees?
- What is an arboretum?
- What makes a champion tree?
- Which trees are evergreen and which are deciduous?
Woodland games and challenges
Take part in a scavenger hunt to explore the park. During the hunt, children will be challenged to build a twig tower, play some group games and test their knowledge and team building skills.
We will also:
- play collect 5,
- create some bark art,
- and make a journey stick
Bute Park and Cardiff Bay Boat Trip
Start the day exploring Bute Park learning about what lives there – birds, squirrels, moles and hedgehogs.
Take a trip on the Princess Katharine water taxi, down to Cardiff Bay to meet a community ranger and go birdwatching in the wetland area.
See Cardiff Boat website for prices and more details.
River Taff Explorer
Find out what lives in the river and catch, identify and examine the creatures you find.
Use an index to calculate how healthy the river is.
Play the food chain game and find out the hierarchy of animals in the river.
Gerry’s Story – A giraffe who gets lost in Bute Park
An entertaining and colourful adventure about a soft toy named Gerry the Giraffe who gets lost in Bute Park.
Explore the park and search for the clues mentioned in the story to help find Gerry and his friends.
Enjoy playing games and activities to develop geographical skills and knowledge and understanding of the local area.
Art in the park: Environmental art and the park’s sculptures
Explore Bute Park looking for textures, colours and patterns in nature. Use natural materials to create a ground collage.
Look and find some of the 20 sculptures in the park, what are they? How were they made? Create a ‘bark art’ gallery of creatures and tree creations. Play a range of fun games and activities including the twig tower challenge.