Arboretum Apprentice - summer family activities

Can you climb trees for a living?
Who looks after the trees?
What about the wildlife?

Over the summer we are offering a host of free bookable workshops to introduce children aged 7+ and their families to a whole range of careers we have at Westonbirt Arboretum. 

Sessions are at 11:00 – 12:00, 12:30 – 13:30, 14:30 – 15:30 on dates listed below. 

To book please email the learning team.

Summer timetable

Arborist – 02 - 04 August

Learn throwline skills, mulch protection for trees and measuring tree height

Free drop in activity: Views from the treetop. What would you be able to see if you had climbed into the treetop? Draw your view and add it to our tree.

Communications and marketing – 06 & 07 August

Interview a tree, take your family on a photoshoot and design your own Westonbirt poster

Recreation ranger – 09 - 11 August

Help visitors when they arrive, monitor play areas, and litter picking

Free drop in activity: Family Favourites. Where would you recommend for a family to explore on their first visit to Westonbirt. Create a new family trail using our giant map.

Community officer – 13 & 14 August

A sensory exploration of a tree, inclusion and accessibility survey and create ideas for a fairytale outreach box for care homes

Woodland ecologist – 16 - 18 August

Complete a Woodland wildlife survey, grassland sweep netting and tree identification

Free drop in activity: Cone creatures. Spot wildlife or find evidence of who lives at Westonbirt and make a cone model of it.

Dendrologist – 20 & 21 August

Identification problem solving, cone matching and microscope discovery

Arboretum curator – 23 - 25 August

Try your hand at soil testing, planning planting and creating a habitat audit

Free drop in activity: Match a tree challenge. Use the clues to decide out which would be the best to plant in a nearby spot, to fit in with the picturesque landscape.