Outdoor Learning for Schools

Early Years outdoor learning

Outdoor Learning for Schools

Painshill provides outdoor learning that sparks curiosity, builds confidence, and boosts wellbeing. We help schools and communities take education outside —where every lesson becomes an adventure.

Bookings for Spring/Summer 2026 are now at capacity – why not enquire about a self led visit to Painshill.

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Learning for Early Years

Activities will be tailored to your school group and the weather but can include any of the following: 

Minibeast Safari

Search logs, leaves and shake the trees on a Minibeast Safari. Look for creatures that live in different habitats. Through play and games, learn about camouflage, how to identify creatures and how they live.

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Early Years outdoor learning minibeast safari
Early Years outdoor learning fairytale story walk

Fairytale Story Walk

Children go on a fairytale story walk through the magical landscape of Painshill, past the Three Bears’ house in the woods to Sleeping Beauty’s Gothic Temple. Children join in the storyteller’s fairytale with drama, dance, games and the amazing prop basket. Activities are designed to encourage children to co-operate and communicate.

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Wild Art

Children search for natural materials to make their own paints. The clay, mud, roots, petals, leaves, chalk and homemade charcoal are ground up to make the water paints. Or explore shapes, colours and textures by gathering natural materials on the forest floor to create a giant collage of a Painshill woodland animal.

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Plant Explorers

Explore plants throughout the seasons in woodlands, gardens and meadows. Starting off as tiny seeds, children use play to discover the wonderful world of plants and how to grow into terrific trees. Activities can include making natural perfumes and woodland collages.

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Sensory Walk

Children use their senses on a nature walk through Painshill. Short games and fun activities focus children on using all their senses. Children explore textures, shapes, colours and smells on a nature scavenger hunt.

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Sensational Seasons

Use all your senses to explore the seasons at Painshill. Come in Autumn and see the colourful leaves, Winter and experience an icy wonderland, Spring to see the woodland flowers or Summer for long hot summer days. With wild weather games, sensory scavenger hunts and nature craft.

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Testimonials

As ever, we had the most enjoyable day yesterday. Thank you so much. So many of the boys told us it was, “the best day ever” and lots of them were asleep on the coach on the way home.

Mrs P

I am writing to thank you and the fabulous Ros, for the loveliest of school trips. Ros is full of energy, with a great sense of humour that had the children in fits of giggles and made them warm to her from the start. We all had such a fun and busy day, hunting for minibeasts in different habitats, playing games to learn about predators, prey and what minibeasts need to survive. It really was a treat to be able to do this trip this year.

Mrs R

We had a Year R School trip to Painshill Park yesterday and the feedback that we’ve received has been fantastic.  Several experienced TAs said it was the best trip they’ve been on in years.  Particular highlights were the guy who played the pirate and the bug collecting leader.  Apparently they were awesome in engaging the children and very very entertaining.

Ms Rogers

Contact us about Outdoor Learning for Schools

Things to See & Do

Painshill is an award-winning 18th century landscape garden where you are invited to walk around a work of art. Winding paths will take you on a journey to discover a living canvas with beautiful vistas and dramatically placed garden buildings. Stroll around the Serpentine Lake, wander through woodland and promenade past follies, including the Ruined Abbey, Gothic Temple and Turkish Tent.

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