Home Educator Event: The Migration Challenge
Join us to experience our magical winter spectacle: explore the Bewick's swans' amazing journey from arctic Russia to Slimbridge, learn about life on the Tundra, and get top tips from the Guides in the Hides on how to identify our winter wildlife.
Date
Tuesday 20th January 2026
Sessions
10:30-11:15am Session & activities in Arctic Adventure - suitable for ages 3-7
11:45-12:30pm Session & activities in Arctic Adventure - suitable for ages 7-11
2:00-3:30pm Session & activities - suitable for age 12+
Please double check the age group before booking a session.
Itinerary for Ages 3-11:
- Please meet in Arctic Adventure 5 minutes before the start time of your session.
- Explore the Bewick's swans amazing journey from the arctic Russia to Slimbridge.
- Learn about the meaning of migration, the elements that help or hinder the birds along the route and what we can do to help a species sadly in decline.
- Become part of the WWT Research team to experience life out on the Tundra at our Arctic Adventure exhibit.
- Take part in optional activities including working out which countries Bewick's swans pass through on their way to Slimbridge, studying their poo samples to see what they can tell us, and weighing and measuring a model swan just like our scientists do.
Itinerary for Age 12+:
- Please meet at the Robbie Garnett Hide 5 minutes before the start time of this session.
- Experience our magical winter spectacle, whilst learning some tips on how to identify the different species of birds.
- Carry out a wetland bird survey just as our teams do each month, comparing our data to previously collected sets we can then think about reasons for any variations found.
- Head to Arctic Adventure to catch up with one of our team members who has worked out on the Tundra to hear of their experiences during a conservation expedition.
Throughout the day we will also have our Guides in the Hides team on hand to help you identify various bird species, and to share facts with you about them and their habitats. If you would like to have a sneak peak at the birds that have joined us so far this winter, our wildlife sightings can be found here and our webcam gives you beautiful views of the birds overwintering on the Rushy Lake.
Whilst exploring, take on the challenge to find and identify 6 of the Bewick's swans using only the records we have available just like our swan research team do each day through the season. When in the Visitor Centre stop off at the Cinema to watch our 'Flight of the Swans' film running through the day. If you are able to stay all day with us, why not finish your visit by heading to the Peng Observatory for 4pm to watch our Wild Bird feed taking place out on Rushy Lake.
Ticketing
Admission, session and activities: £6.90 per child
One adult per family: Free
Additional adults: £12.70 each
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept WWT membership, Boundless or Blue Peter badges on learning visits.
Places must be pre-booked. For more information, please email education.slimbridge@wwt.org.uk or phone 01453 891117.
FAQs
Where do we meet?
10:30 and 11:45 sessions: meet in Arctic Adventure.
2pm session: meet at the Robbie Garnett Hide.
Please arrive at the meeting point 5 minutes before the start time of your session.
Is admission included?
Yes, all tickets include admission to the site.