Opening Times

Winter Opening is from November 1st to February 28th
The Bird Garden is open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm with last admittance at 3.15 pm.

Summer Opening is from March 2nd to October 31st
The Bird Garden is open from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm with last admittance at 4.15 pm.

What makes this a great venue for School group Fun or Educational Visits?

Lotherton Bird Garden is a registered Zoo and works with the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria to promote the highest standards of animal care and welfare. Lotherton has a world-wide collection of rare and endangered species of birds, many of which are kept and bred for their conservation value. The sheer wealth of colour, design and texture of the feathers of birds in the collection makes this an ideal venue for textile, photography and arts students and their natural history and conservation issues make Lotherton ideal for Biology and science students. For younger children, the opportunity to see such a variety of bird species in one place and book the Education Officer to help interprete the collection is underpinned by our policy of supporting the "Learning Outside The Classroom" Manifesto. The wider Estate also has formal gardens, country walks suitable for Nature trails and rambles and a Deer Park.

What are the Curriculum Topics or Benefit to the students from a visit?

An opportunity to get up close to birds many of whom are endangered and which are extremely difficult or impossible to see in the wild and to experience other living creatures and understand the variety of life on our planet. We get many return visits from nursery groups and primary schools, but we are increasingly been visited by A level students who value us as a learning resource.

What are the activities?

“Meet The Birdies” Guided Tour Available Tuesday to Friday. Up to 2 hour guided tour.
Key Stage 1 and 2 Years 1 – 6.

Bird Brains – Freaky Beaky
An introduction to birds, comparing body and beak shapes, different foods and habitats.
With “Carlos the Condor” our glove puppet. Includes a guided tour of the Bird Garden. Key Stage 1 and 2 Years 2 – 6.

Bird Brains – Fabulous Flyers
How did dinosaurs learn to fly and become birds? All about feathers. How do birds fly?
Includes a guided tour of the Bird Garden. Key Stage 2 Years 4 – 6.

Bird Brains – Musical Mynahs
Why do birds sing and how? An exploration of bird song and behaviour through playing and
listening. “Carlos the Condor” helps the children investigate. Includes a guided tour of the
Bird Garden. Years 2 – 4.

Bird Brains – Extinction! Agghhh!
An investigation for older children into what is causing bird species to become extinct and
what Lotherton Bird Garden is doing to conserve rare species. Includes a guided tour of the
Bird Garden. Key Stage 2 Years 5 – 6.

Hejvig the Hedge Witch
Learn about the fascinating insects that live in hedgerows. A magical bug-hunt! Education pack, teachers notes and self-guiding box to borrow at a fixed fee. Years 3 – 6.

For High Schools

“Real Life Biology in Use” An AS/A Level investigation into what the main causes of extinction are, how breeding programmes work and classification and adaptation of four example species in the Bird Garden.

Revival : Birds of A Feather is a joint project with Lotherton Hall. We worked with four High Schools and groups of textiles students to research and design hats inspired by birds and feathers. The project is also a competition and their completed work will be exhibited in
2010 with a hat designed for the project by international milliner Philip Treacy. For more information go to http://revivalproject.wetpaint.com/ and view the photos of birds in the
Bird Garden. Also check out the Suggested Research section for Birds of A Feather student packs called “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Birds” which are six downloadable PDF documents. Your route is revival@lothertonhall/home/suggested research/birds of a feather.

What is the age range of the activities?

“Meet The Birdies” Guided Tour is for Key Stage 1 and 2 Years 1 – 6.

Bird Brains – Freaky Beaky is for Key Stage 1 and 2 Years 2 – 6.

Bird Brains – Fabulous Flyers is for Key Stage 2 Years 4 – 6.

Bird Brains – Musical Mynahs is for Years 2 – 4.

Bird Brains – Extinction! Agghhh! is aimed at Key Stage 2 Years 5 – 6.

Hejvig the Hedge Witch is suitable for Years 3 – 6.

“Real Life Biology in Use” is for AS/A Level Biology students

Revival : Birds of A Feather is aimed at Year 10 and upwards.

Sample programme of the activities:

Bird Brains – Freaky Beaky KS2 is an introduction to the world of birds. Birds evolved from dinosaurs and we illustrate the differences between "dino-birds" and modern birds and at the same time show how birds learned to fly and the adaptations their bodies made in order to do this. We have a collection of bird skulls, feathers and a feely-box game which we use to compare species of birds that have adapted to different habitats and food. We get the children interacting with “Carlos the Condor” our life-size Andean Condor glove puppet to illustrate how big some birds can be and what makes birds unique among all animals on the planet. A one hour guided tour of the Bird Garden follows where the key elements learned in the Education Centre are reinforced by looking at examples of widely differing species.

What materials to you provide or suggest groups bring to support the visit?

We have Teachers Packs for "Owls - Seeing and Hearing" and "Hejvig The Hedge Witch" (a bug-hunting activity)and also "The Treasury of Trees", a pack with over thirty useful activties and investigations you can do outdoors with children.

We also provide example bird skulls and feathers and a wealth of photos on the Education Officer-led activities but we suggest that groups bring cameras or clip-boards, paper and coloured pencils for sketching or recording their experiences. Six PDF downloadable documents under the general title of "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Birds" can be found at revival@lothertonhall/home/suggested research/birds of a feather

What are the minimum and maximum group sizes and the free Teacher Ratio?

Minimum:12 - Maximum :30 All teachers attend free on guided activities. Each child pays £2.00 for a guided activity session (a morning or afternoon).

Do you have or how do you arrange risk assessment?

Risk assessments and method statements for the guided activities are copies to school by email after confirmation of booking is received. All schools make a self-guided site visit to risk assess their trip and the site.

Do you offer Teacher familiarisation days?

Yes, if this is requested.

What facilities are there for school groups for food and drink, shop etc?

The Stables Tearooms is open daily from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm in summer and from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm in winter.

Is specific clothing required?

Children should wear sensible footwear and clothes suitable for a visit to an outdoor venue.

Do you have first aid on site?

Yes.