Jane's Midlife Journey

Nature Tots are outdoor Stay & Play sessions for toddlers held in parks across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The sessions provide young children with the opportunity to play outdoors and enjoy nature and wildlife through themed trails, activities and crafts.

Locations

• There are two weekly session at Kingfisher Barn Visitor Centre at Stour Valley Nature Reserve. Further details can be found here.

• There is a weekly session at Hengistbury Head. Further details here.

• A monthly session is run by the Parks Foundation at Seafield Gardens in Southbourne. Check their website for further details.

• In addition, weekly sessions are organised by the National Trust just across Poole Harbour at the Discovery Centre on Studland. Further details here.

Opening Times

• Kingfisher Barn: Tuesday and Thursday from 10.30 am until 11.30 am (term time only).

• Hengistbury Head: Monday from 10.30 am until 11.30 am (term time only).

• Seafield Gardens: One Wednesday a month from 10.30 am until 12 pm.

• Studland: Monday from 10 am until 11.30 am (term time only).

Price

• Kingfisher Barn suggest a donation of £2 per child.

• Hengistbury Head suggest a donation of £2, with a minimum charge of £1.

• Seafield Gardens is free, but donations to the Parks Foundation are welcome.

• Alexandra Park is free, but donations to the Parks Foundation are welcome.

• Studland sessions are free, however non National Trust members must pay to park on Studland. Parking costs £5 for 2 hours. (Alternatively, the 50 Breezer bus from Bournemouth to Swanage stops at Pipley Bridge, a 5 minute walk away.)

Suitable for age

Nature Tots sessions are suitable for pre-school children. Most venues suggest a minimum age of 2 as there is an element of walking.

Details

Orla loves Nature Tots, where children are able explore and play in nature. Free Play includes activity like a mud kitchen.

A highlight of the morning is hunting for wildlife. At Seafield Gardens, there is pond, where the ranger usually manages to find a frog to show the children.

Sessions usually incorporate a craft activity, often with materials the children have collected themselves. This is another favourite for Orla; from making animals and tree spirits out of clay to leaf pictures and constructing seed balls for hungry birds.

Although sessions vary from venue to venue, the morning often ends with songs, rhymes and stories with a nature theme. At Seafield Gardens, these take place in the Fairy Den.

Food & Drink

There is no food or drink included, but there are cafes at most of the venues, with the exception of Seafield Gardens, which has a cafe in the bowling club, only open during the summer.

Toilets/Changing Facilities

Most of the parks have toilets with changing facilities, with the exception of Seafield Gardens, which has toilets in the bowling club, only open during the summer.

Wildlings

For older children, the Parks Foundation runs Wildlings sessions. These free sessions take place after school and are suitable for children age 5-12 at:

• Alexandra Park on Fridays from 4.30 pm until 5.30 pm (term time only).

Wildlings offers children the chance to take part in nature based activities and crafts, such as a mini beast safari or clay modelling . There are additional sessions at Slades Park during the school holidays.

• Updated: August 2025

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.