Learning and activities for schools and groups
During your visit to Brownsea Island you can book a wide variety of activities including: learning activities linked to the curriculum, scouting heritage activities, sporting activities including archery, low ropes and watersports. All of our activities can be tailored to suit your group's needs, please contact us to discuss your visit with our learning manager.
To book your activites or to discuss your visit with us, please call 01202 707744, option 2 or email.
CBeebies Radio recently visited with their Go Jetters: Radio Recruits to find out more about islands and what makes Brownsea special. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/go-jetters-radio-recruits-brownsea-island
Our learning activities are linked to the National Curriculum and activities are designed to be 'hands on' and outdoors whenever possible. You can mix and match activities to make up a half-day or whole day visit, unless otherwise stated all of our sessions last an hour.
Use your senses to explore the wonderful woodland on Brownsea Island. Be inspired by the sights, sounds, smells and textures and enjoy exploring nature. you will be led on a walk and given opportunities to use your senses in new ways to discover the woodland around you.
Brownsea is an important Nature Reserve and is particularly interesting because it has a number of diverse habitats all in a small area. Through activities you will be introduced to woodland, heathland, and wetland habitats and learn about their inhabitants.
An Island Home
Aimed at KS1 and our younger visitors, come and find out what it is really like to live on an island. This walk and talk will let you in on some of the secrets of island life and show how it different it is from living on the mainland.
All about Squirrels
Come to Brownsea and learn about the famous red squirrels. Find out what they eat, where they live and why they are so rare. Included are activities to help you understand what life as a squirrel might be like. On our short ‘safari’ see if you can actually spot one of these elusive little creatures.
Coasts and shores
A visit to Brownsea Island is an exciting and unique way to learn about coasts. The island’s coastline is constantly changing and eroding, providing a fantastic case study for a coastal investigation. Through practical demonstrations and activities, gain a deeper understanding of the processes affecting our coasts and the issues related to this subject.
For our younger visitors; Discover more about the pirates of Brownsea’s past and follow the clues to discover Harry Paye’s hidden treasure.
In Victorian times Brownsea had a thriving pottery industry. You will find out a little bit about how clay was used and then have a chance to make your own piece from quick drying clay.
Be inspired by the natural resources on Brownsea Island to create a unique piece of art. Your artwork can be flat or a sculpture, a picture or abstract, with rocks, shells, sticks, feathers, leaves and seeds, it is amazing what you can create!
Orienteering - 1.5 hours
Learn more about using a compass and following bearings on our wheel orienteering course. Why not follow this by buying our Orienteering map from the Visitor Centre of Trading Post and putting your skills into practice on the full course around the island.
Scouting Heritage Activities
Based on Lord Baden-Powell's experiemental camp of 1907, these activities will help you to learn more about the origins of Scouting and Guiding on Brownsea Island. All of these activities last for 1.5 hours.
Take on challenges and activites from the 1907 camp, this activity is regularly refreshed to include new challenges.
Each patrol in 1907 was challenged to build a piquet camp of their own. Put your skills to the test and learn more about BP's camp as you create and build your own camp in the woods.
Have a go at archery on our range. Maximum group size 12.
Test your group's team work on our low ropes course, will you be able to get all the way round? Maximum group size 12.
Designed and made by our Brownsea Island Youth Service Team (BIYST), this challenge area will test your group's team work and problem solving skills.
Our watersports provider is Brenscombe Outdoor Centre who offer a range of taster sessions from canoeing to raft building.
" Instructors were excellent as was the range of activities."
Statement of risk: The National Trust has published risk assessments and controls on all activities, which are regularly reviewed and updated. There will always be some real risk involved in the activities that we offer. We believe that, having put in place our risk controls the level of risk is low and tolerable within the nature of the activity. This residual risk is inherent in the activity and could not be fully eliminated without destroying the activity or the reason for doing it.