Education sessions

Bute Park is a fantastic place to visit and learn. The park provides an enticing base for a wealth of exciting and engaging learning activities. Bringing young people into close contact with the natural environment encourages an interest in the world around them. Bute Park can support their growing knowledge and understanding of plants and animals, and how and why these are so fundamental to our own existence.

We value the educational opportunities Bute Park provides and always aspire to ensure our visitors have an enjoyable and worthwhile experience on one of our visits.

We offer a range of education sessions for Primary and Secondary schools with the Bute Park Education Officer and the education team. We can also design tailor made education sessions that cover a specific topic or meet the needs of your group.

Education sessions are available for either a half day (£100 for up to 30 pupils) or a full day (£150 for up to 30 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 for the duration of your visit.

Education sessions for Primary and Secondary Schools

Art in Bute Park

Pupils will explore Bute Park looking for ideas and inspiration to create their own environmental artwork using gathered natural materials. They will have opportunities to identify and explore colour, textures, shape and patterns in nature through a series of activities including:

  • Colour collecting game
  • Bark art creation
  • Great circle challenge
  • And many more activities

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Bute Park history and heritage

Welcome to Bute Park -the green heart of the city.

Take a guided walk around the park to discover: -

  • What goes on in the park?
  • Who works in the park and what do they do?
  • Why are parks and green spaces important?
  • What wildlife will we see on our journey
  • What is an arboretum?
  • Meet some of the champion trees and find out what makes them champions.

Stop at the Wildlife Explorer Trail points along the way and take part in a series of educational and fun activities and games.

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Homes and Habitats – What lives in Bute Park?

We are going to be Woodland Detectives to discover who lives in Bute Park. Can we find any animal signs or tracks? A feather, nibbled nuts or a hole in a tree?

Find out about the different kinds of animals that live in the park - Squirrels, hedgehogs, foxes and birds.
Learn how to identify them and discover why they live in their particular habitat/home.

Make careful observations about the creatures we find and record findings.

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Minibeast Hunting – bugs, slugs and wriggly things

Pupils will look in a variety of habitats to collect invertebrates living there. We will learn how to treat animals with respect and care.

Pupils will observe and learn about the invertebrates in their natural environment. How they camouflage themselves and how they move around.

During the session learn how to use a key, identification charts and magnifier to identify them.

The pupils will take part in a series of games and activities to enhance the learning experience including: -

  • Minibeast mime game
  • Worm charming
  • And many more

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Trees, tree 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. (Tallest and/or broadest of that species in the UK).

We will spend time exploring trees and answer 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?

During the session we will play games and complete tree activities including examining leaves, bark rubbing and estimating the age of some of the trees.

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Woodland games and outdoor activities

Pupils will take part in a series of games and activities to explore the park and use the natural materials available to create a ground collage. Activities include: -

  • Collect 5 and make a natural collage
  • Create a bark art gallery
  • Twig tower challenge
  • And many more

A great opportunity to work on communication and team building skills.

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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.


Pupils will need to be familiar with the book before coming along to this session.

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River Taff Explorer

Pupils will river dip from a beach on the River Taff to look for creatures that live in the river and catch, examine and identify what we find. 

Pupils will record the type of creatures and number of each species to calculate how healthy the river is.

We will play the food chain game and find out the hierarchy of animals in the river and who eats who.

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Bees and pollinators

Discover the world of pollinators, their role and how important they are in helping the environment and the world we live in.

We answer some questions about bees:

  • What is the difference between honeybees, solitary bees or bumble bees?
  • Which bees live in Bute Park?
  • How do honeybees make honey?
  • What do bees eat?

Pupils will take part in fun and informative games and activities in the park.

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Orienteering

Pupils will learn what a map is and how to use a map and compass to navigate around a simple orienteering course.  Learn how to follow instructions and collaborate. 

In small groups work as a team to solve the challenges and find the ‘treasure’ hidden in the park. 

We will play games and do some fun activities to reinforce the skills learned.

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