Formally organised educational youth groups qualify for our discounted educational youth group rates. These rates are available for groups of children visiting the zoo as part of an organised, pre-booked trip lead via an organisation/charity/educational institute or similar. This includes:
- Uniform youth groups (e.g. Scouting, Guiding, Boys and Girls Brigade, Sea Cadets, etc.)
- Extracurricular educational groups (e.g. school science club, environmental club, etc.)
- Groups for children with additional support (e.g. at risk youth groups, young carers, etc.)
Colchester Zoo offers a variety of educational opportunities for these groups.
Click on a title below or scroll down to find out more:
- Challenge Badges
- Explorer Days
- Meeting Animals Up Close
- Other Educational Sessions
- Outreach Education
- Online Resources
Interested in learning about STEM? Why not participate in the Colchester Zoo STEM Design Challenge, a FREE project open to all groups across the country.
click here for more details.
Challenge Badges
Is your Scouting or Guiding unit up for a challenge? Do you want to earn our exclusive Colchester Zoo Challenge Badge?
If the answer is yes, make the Colchester Zoo Challenge part of your visit to the zoo!
Cost: £4.00 per child
Each unit will also get free leader badges (additional leader badges can be purchased at £4.00 each).*
*1 leader badge for groups under 15 children, and 2 leader badges for groups over 15 children
What you get: A Colchester Zoo Challenge Badge for each child, a challenge activity pack to complete during your visit.
You will be emailed a leader Challenge Pack filled with activities to complete during your zoo visit. The Challenge Pack activites focus on learning about the role of zoos, across a variety of topics including: Endangered Species, Education, Looking After Animals, and Zoo Research.
Activities are differentiated by age level, with different sections recommended to complete a certain number of activites within a section in order to earn their Challenge Badge.
We recommend all leaders wanting to complete the Colchester Zoo Challenge as part of their visit make a leader pre-trip to the zoo ahead of their group visit. You can use this trip to decide which activity worksheets to complete, familiarise yourself with the site, and plan your route with your unit. Click here for details of how to access these free leader pre-trip tickets.
When: Challenge Days are self-guided and can be added to your visit on whichever date you select to visit.
How to Book: please select the option of “Challenge Badge” as an optional extra when filling out the Educational Youth Group Booking Form. (Final numbers of badges required, including if you wish to purchase additional leader badges will be confirmed on the day of your visit).
Explorer Day
Do you want to attend a formal education session as part of your visit to Colchester Zoo? Do you want to earn our exclusive Colchester Zoo Explorer Badge?
If the answer is yes, visit Colchester Zoo on a designated Explorer Day.
Cost: £4.51 per child
Each unit will also get free leader badges (additional leader badges can be purchased at £4.51 each).*
*1 leader badge for groups under 15 children, and 2 leader badges for groups over 15 children
What you get: a dedicated education session during your zoo visit, a leader pack with more informaiton and activites, a Colchester Zoo Explorer Badge for each child.
The leader pack will be emailed to you prior to your trip. It contains information related to your chosen topic with tailored activites that link learning at the zoo to badge requirements for different section levels. The pack contains activities to do during your visit as will as follow up meeting activites after your visit.
When: Explorer Days are only available on selected Saturdays throughout the year:
14th Oct, 4th Nov, 18th Nov, 13th Jan, 3rd Feb, 2nd Mar, 20th Apr, 18th May, 8th Jun, 13th Jul, 3rd Aug, 17th Aug
If you are visiting with a very large group (e.g. an entire Area or District), it may be possible to run a bespoke Explorer Day for your group on an alternative date. To discuss this and potential availability please contact our education department directly at 01206 332511 or 01206 332512 or email education@colchesterzoo.org
How to Book: please select the option of “Explorer Day” when filling out the Educational Youth Group Booking Form. (Final numbers of badges required, including if you wish to purchase additional leader badges will be confirmed on the day of your visit).
Please note, spaces are limited. Book early to avoid disappointment, especially during the busier summer months. Bookings are dependent on availability, and all bookings must be received a minimum of 9 days prior to the scheduled Explorer Day date.
There are two different Explorer Day topics to choose between:
Endangered Animals Explorer Day
Learn about what threats wild animals face, and what the zoo (and you!) can do to help them:
Click for Girlguiding Badge links-
Attending an Endangered Animal explorer day will help work toward some of the following badge requirements.
Rainbows:
animal lover, nature, storyteller, drawing, healthy mind, construction, as well as skill builders such as make change, communicate, influence and Innovate.
Brownies:
mindfulness, inventing, charities, speaking out, as well as skill builders such make change, communicate, and influence.
Guides
conscious consumer, media critic, investigating as well as working towards skill builders such as influence and make change.
Rangers:
protesting, genealogy and skill builders such as Communicate, influence and make change.
Click for Scouting Badge links
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Attending an Endangered Animal explorer day will help work toward some of the following badge requirements.
Squirrels:
go wild, feel good, get creative, and story time.
Beavers
global issues, explore, animal lover, builder, photographer, community impact as well as the my world award.
Cubs
animal carer, global issues, communicator, artist, photographer, community impact as well as our world and our skills award badges.
Scouts:
environmental conservation, fundraising and world challenge award.
Explorers
naturalist, global issues, community impact and fundraising.
Looking After Animals Explorer Day
Learn about the needs of animals (including pets), how zoos look after their animals, and what zookeepeers really do!
Click for Girlguiding Badge links-
Attending a Looking After Animals explorer day will help work toward some of the following badge requirements.
Rainbows:
animal lover, nature and skill builders such as communicate.
Brownies:
Preforming. Mindfulness, inventing as well as skill builders such as communicate and innovate.
Guides
media critic, investigating, meditation as well as skill builder such as feel good and communicate.
Rangers:
morals and values, and skill builders such as communicate.
Click for Scouting Badge links
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Attending a Looking Aftet Animals explorer day will help work toward some of the following badge requirements.
Squirrels:
Go wild, feel good, get creative, and storytime.
Beavers
animal friend, builder, creative, as well as the my world award badge.
Cubs
animal carer, naturalist, photographer, artist as well as our world award badge.
Scouts:
media relations and marketing, naturalist, fundraising as well as skills challenge award.
Explorers
media relations and marketing, naturalist and fundraising.
Meeting Animals Up Close
There are no bookable timeslots for groups to meet animals up close. Please also be aware, there are no live animals in any avilable education sessions.
However, educational groups can also meet minibeasts and other animals up close. Drop in anytime at the Discovery Den (by the elephant house), or at set times (see the sign at the building for details) at Sensation Station. You can also stroke or feed other animals in the ‘Familiar Friends’ Farm section of the zoo (see signs at the animals to check which animals you can stroke/feed). All of these activities are all drop-in and cannot be pre-booked.
Groups are welcome to attend any Zoo Keeper Talks. These take place at the animal enclosures and may include the keepers feeding the animals, providing them with toys or even training. See the zoo app, or our website for specifics about where and when different encounters take place.
Other Education Sessions
If you are interested in attending Educational Sessions as part of your Educational Youth Group visit, please book a place on one of our “Explorer Days“. Unfortunately, for individual unit there are no bookable sessions available outside of these scheduled days.
If you are visiting with a very large group (e.g. an entire District or Area) please contact the education department directly (01206 332511, 01206 332512 or 01206 331292 or email education@colchesterzoo.org) to disscuss if it would be posible to organise a custom Explorer Day for you. Please note that this is dependant on avaliability and we recommend contacting the education department well in advance.
Educational Outreach
Colchester Zoo’s educators will come to you!
These sessions will take place at your group’s meeting location at a time convenient to you.
Please note that we do not bring live animals on outreach sessions.
Sessions are available for all age ranges.
Almost all standard educational schools sessions are available for outreach sessions for Educational Youth Groups. Details of all the sessions can be found on the website in the appropriate age category.
To discuss how our sessions can meet your Badge Requirements, as well as availability, please contact our Education Team directly: 01206 332511, 01206 332512 or 01206 331292 or email education@colchesterzoo.org.
Practicalities:
Outreach is only available from September to the end of May. Outreach session availability is dependent on what is currently booked at the zoo, for this reason we recommend booking outreach sessions as far in advance as possible to ensure that we are available.
Prices start at £100 per session for Educational Youth Groups within a 15 mile radius of the zoo, an additional £5 will be charged per 15 miles travel thereafter. Additional sessions/hour at the same location are charged at £50 each.
Online Resources
Colchester Zoo provides a wide range of free resources online to help you make the most of your visit. These include detailed information packs (if you want more information about how zoos work and what we do as well as a range of other topics), worksheets to complete during your visit, and activity packs include pre and post trip activity resources. Many of these resources have been designed for schools, so may require modification to suit badge requirements or similar outcomes.
Click here for the online learning resources page
Groups who book Challenge Badges and/or Explorer Day options will be provided with their digital resources tailored to their unit age and badge requirements after the complete their booking.