School visits for Key Stage 2 children

If you’re booking a guided visit, the itinerary for your day will include:

• Arrival at 10am. One of our educators will meet your school party in the coach park and walk with you to our classroom space. Children can leave their lunch bags here.
• Guided trek. Our DBS-checked education team are experienced outdoor educators. They’ll lead your choice of guided trek. Each of our available treks is carefully tailored to Key Stage 2 children.
• Lunch break. This will take place in our classroom space, the Coach House. This is situated in the gardens, close to the toilets. The Coach House can accommodate two classes and chairs will be provided. You can also picnic on the lawns if preferred.
• Afternoon activities. You might like to bring your own activities such as playground/parachute games for after lunch. Some school groups do artwork or photography. Our Education team can provide a wildlife trail sheet that you may wish to follow - this takes about an hour. Please note, no ball games are allowed. This is to protect our plants.
• Depart by 4.30pm. Your school party are welcome to explore our gardens up until 4.30pm.

Unguided school visits can take place between 10am and 4.30pm.

Although there are no organised activities for unguided visits, there are 64 acres of Ness Botanic Gardens, with accessible paths, you can explore during the visit. A map will be emailed when booking.

The habitats and gardens at Ness include a wildflower meadow, pine wood, deciduous wood, water gardens, rock garden, Mediterranean garden, vegetable garden, permaculture garden, weather station field with solar array, and a small alpine glasshouse.

Children are taxonomists asking: What's that and how do we know? Why does it live there? How does it survive? Why do we need to know what it is? Examine plant and animal features carefully using keys and other information.

A pond dip or mini-beast hunt is best for to embellish this 1.5 hour trek.

Identify different types of pollinators, investigate their behaviour and find out how essential they are for the flowering plant cycle, for humans and the environment. Become scientists by carrying out your own Bee investigation and discovering the importance of bees.

A pond dip or mini-beast hunt can also be included on this 1.5 hour trek.

You are time travellers who have stepped back a few million years to the start of life on Earth. Be amazed at the sheer diversity of plants that have evolved since that day. This trek takes you through garden settings that allow you to imagine what life on Earth was like as plants colonised and evolved.

You are all sustainability officers. Explore things that Ness Botanic Gardens has put into practice to help the Earth – recycling, reusing, repairing, energy production, habitat conservation, planting for biodiversity and organic food production.

With your new knowledge, what advice would you give people back at school or at home about living sustainably?

Seed sowing can also be included on this 1.5 hour trek.