Learning with Longleat

Could a visit help enhance your early years provision?

Longleat Safari and Adventure Park is located in Wiltshire and is home to over 100 different types of animal.  It is great for families but also a worthwhile educational destination. Children of all ages love animals and for those at the beginning of their learning journey they can help introduce the concept of the wider world.

Our safari allows children to see the animals that have become familiar and favourites through books and television. They can practice identifying animals. They can note the animals’ similarities and differences and compare them us.

Is it really suitable for Early Years children?
Getting close to animals and really seeing them is one of the advantages of visiting our walk round animal areas.  Visibility has been ensured for children of all heights and in many areas they can walk amongst the animals. The area isn’t too vast for little legs and walking can be interspersed with a boat and/or train ride.  Keepers are based in the walk through areas so provide children with an opportunity to ask questions about what they want know.

What about a wet or cold day?
Many of our areas are indoors such as Penguin Island, the Animal Handling Hall and Longleat House itself.  You can pre book an inside area for lunch and of course you are in your coach for the safari trip.

Want to get closer?
Our animal adventure team provide close encounters with a range of animals on a daily basis. A number of the team specialise in delivering specialised tailored sessions to groups of children.  The interactive and personal nature of these sessions means that often the children are engaged for longer periods than they normally are.  Children meet a range of animals some of which they can handle.  They learn about them and how to touch them carefully.  One of our most popular sessions focuses on senses.  They think about their own and how animals sense the world around them.

Before and after
In our experience we have found that children are able to relax and learn better on a visit out of their normal setting if they know more about it in advance. Using the information and photos from our website you can introduce Longleat and its attractions to the children. Ask children to think about what animals they think they might see. You could do an activity where they learn animal names or name body parts so they can describe better what they see on their visit. What impressions do the children already have about particular animals? Can they choose 3 words to describe a lion, a meerkat and a giraffe?

Think of the different ways the children can make a record of their visit. Can they draw/paint/create their favourite animal? Can the class make a group piece of art? Do they remember how the animals moved can they move in the same way and create a performance? Can they use instruments to make animal sounds or music that reminds them of particular animals?

It’s not just animals…
There are many non-animal attractions but the best by far for early years is our revamped Postman Pat Village.  It not only offers more fun but also a focus for other activities such as sorting and counting. You can follow a link on our website to find activity sheets and a pack that can be used before or after your visit. 

Where to find out more
Visit our website and get in touch via email on, education@longleat.co.uk