For those of you who have never visited Dungeness before, it is an incredibly fascinating reserve rich in history and wildlife. Miles of protected, vegetated shingle important for a variety of rare lichens, mosses and insects blends into fields of wildflowers humming with life. Open water pits and reedbed areas are dotted throughout the reserve, providing a home to high numbers of waterfowl and wading birds. During the summer time we host a whole range of activities to help you learn about wildlife, explore new things and gain new skills. They are fun and interactive, led by friendly and knowledgeable staff and volunteers on the reserve who make sure you go home with a smile on your face and wanting more!
The first event to kick off this year's summer programme is our Big Wild Sleepout which is happening on Saturday 28th July until Sunday 29th July. We welcome you to pitch a tent on our reserve and join in amazing evening and early morning activities as well as camping out under the stars at Dungeness! Activities range from pond dipping to toasting marshmallows over our campfire so there is lots for people with different interests. This family friendly experience gives children a chance to spend the night outside and enjoying night-time wildlife at its very best.
Adult £30. Child £15. 20% discount for RSPB members & Wildlife Explorers. Places are limited as is tent size. For any tents that are 6 man and larger, please call beforehand to check if we have space for it. Please call 01797 699047 to book and check our website for more information. Please book before 23 July.
Our Wild Families events are aimed for families with children aged 4-12 years and cover a different theme for each event. We cover a range of activities from pond dipping to den building as well as learning about the lives of moths, bumblebees and butterflies. They are a day out for the family, providing hours of excitement and fun on a nature reserve. Check out our different Wild Families event below and call 01797 320588 to book your place!
Wild Families - Ponds, pellets and potions
Thursday 2 & Wednesday 22 August , 11am - 3pm
Do you want to learn more about the creepy crawlies that hide under the surface of a pond? Want to learn what our resident barn owls like to eat for dinner? How about creating potions and paint out of plants and petals? Then join us on one of these events to be amazed and excited by what we can find and create on our nature reserve. Be prepared to get mucky! Please wear sensible clothing and bring a packed lunch with you.
Child £8. Accompanying adult £2. 20% discount for Wildlife Explorers.
Wild Families - Bushcraft
Thursday 9 August, 11am - 3pm
Ever wondered what it is like to live in the wild? Come and experience it for a day learning fun and useful skills such as den building, tying knots, the use of signalling and messages to communicate, purifying water and much more! This activity is more suitable for children aged 6+. Please wear sensible clothing and bring a packed lunch.
Wild Families - Magic Moths and Beautiful Butterflies
Thursday 16 August,11am - 3pm
Moths and butterflies are the beauty queens of the insect world and are very important pollinators. Join us to learn more about these insects. Learn how to tell them apart, their life-cycle, what they eat and how we can help save them. Identify butterflies as we walk our wildflower areas and admire the moths we have caught in our traps the night before. Please wear sensible clothing and bring a packed lunch.
Child £8. Accompanying adults £2. 20% discount for Wildlife Explorers.
Wild Families - Brilliant Bees
Tuesday 28 August, 11am - 3pm
Do you want to learn more about our wonderful bees? Want to learn how to identify them, find out about how they live and how important they are? If the answers is yes, join us on an exploration around our reserve to see how many bees we can find buzzing around the flowers. Afterwards, we will be making bee houses allowing you to help give bees a home! Please wear sensible clothing and bring a packed lunch with you.
Wild Families - Bird art and craftWednesday 29 August, 11am - 3pm
Learn all about our birds! Identify some of our most common birds and also some you may not have seen before. Afterwards, we’ll create works of art using what we’ve seen and learnt as inspiration. This event is for all children who love being creative! Please wear sensible clothing and bring a packed lunch with you.
We are also hosting our Dungeness in the Dark event a little earlier this year to coincide with the Perseid Meteor Shower. We have some special guests from the Ashford Astronomical Society who will bring their knowledge and their telescopes to help us spot the spectacular shooting stars! They will give us a presentation along with some show and tell of the stars. If the weather isn't good enough to spot things through the night sky they will give us a virtual look instead. We will also be setting a moth trap and using a bat detector to find some night time wildlife too. So come along and learn about our distant galaxies, use the telescopes to spot constellations and planets whilst enjoying a marshmallow-topped hot chocolate. Suitable for all ages and all levels of knowledge and enthusiasm!
Friday 10th August, 8pm -10pm
Adults £10. Children £5. 20% discount for RSPB members and Wildlife Explorers
Many of these activities can be done as part of your Wild Challenge! Not heard of the Wild Challenge? Find out more here, it's a great way to engage children with nature and keep them entertained over the school holidays!