Home Education Activities in Bournemouth & Dorset
Learning doesn’t have to look like a lesson
If you are educating your child at home, Discovery Village offers a completely different way to add real-world experiences, imaginative play and social interaction to their learning.
Our immersive role play village near Bournemouth has been designed for children aged 1-8, with nine different play areas where children can explore, create, communicate, solve problems and learn through play.
There are no desks, tests or worksheets.
Instead, children can become the vet, take orders in the restaurant, deliver the post, run the shop, build something on the construction site or take to the stage in our theatre.
They might think they’re playing.
You’ll spot plenty of learning happening along the way.
A hands-on addition to your Home Education journey
Every Home Education family does things differently, and we think that’s something worth celebrating.
A visit to Discovery Village doesn’t dictate what your child should learn or how they should learn it.
Our role is to create an interesting environment, provide the resources and introduce opportunities for children to explore.
How you use them is completely up to you.
Follow your child’s interests, turn their play into a bigger project when you get home or simply let them enjoy discovering things for themselves.
What can children explore at Discovery Village?
One visit can create opportunities across lots of different areas of learning.
Post letters in the Post Office, create stories in the Theatre, take restaurant orders, make appointments at the Vets and negotiate different roles with other children.
Role play gives children a reason to communicate rather than communication becoming the activity itself.
Our Farm Shop, Italian Restaurant and other role play areas naturally introduce ideas such as counting, quantities, prices, money, sorting and comparison.
There doesn’t need to be a worksheet in sight.
Head to the Building Site and children can experiment with construction, balance and design, while many of our play areas encourage them to work out how things function and what they should do next.
Why do we need a fire service?
What happens when an animal visits the vet?
How does a letter get from one place to another?
What jobs happen behind the scenes in a restaurant?
Our miniature village gives children the opportunity to explore familiar parts of the world around them from an entirely different perspective.
There isn’t one correct way to play at Discovery Village.
Children can invent characters, create stories, perform on stage and transform everyday situations using their own imagination.
Role play also creates lots of natural opportunities to share, take turns, make decisions, communicate with other children and try something new.
Children can play independently, alongside siblings or with other children visiting the village.
Nine role play areas. Hundreds of possibilities.
During your visit children can freely explore our:
- Fire Station
- Vets
- Beauty Salon
- Italian Restaurant
- Theatre
- Post Office
- Farm Shop
- School
- Building Site
Some children will visit every area. Others will happily spend most of their session absorbed in one. Both are absolutely fine.
There’s a new story to discover too
Each term we introduce a new immersive story to Discovery Village, led by one of our live performers.
Our stories introduce children to different characters, places, ideas and challenges through interactive activities, music and storytelling.
Taking part is always optional.
Children are welcome to join everything, watch from a distance, dip in and out or simply continue exploring the village.
It’s another opportunity for curiosity to lead the learning.
Perfect for younger Home Education families
Discovery Village is designed particularly with younger children in mind.
Our role play environment is suitable for children aged 1-8, which can make visiting especially useful for Home Education families with children of different ages.
Younger siblings don’t have to sit on the sidelines while an older child takes part in an activity. They can explore the village too.
Learning and socialising at their own pace
Home Education doesn’t have to mean learning at home.
Discovery Village provides a safe indoor environment where children can encounter other families, practise communicating with people outside their household and enjoy shared imaginative play.
There’s no requirement to join a group or commit to a weekly course.
Simply choose the session that works for your family.
Home Education at Discovery Village: FAQs
Absolutely. Discovery Village provides an informal, hands-on environment where children can explore communication, literacy, numeracy, creativity, problem solving and the world around them through imaginative play.
Our village is designed for children aged 1-8. This can be particularly useful for Home Education families visiting with younger siblings as everyone can take part in the same experience.
We don’t currently offer a specific Home Education discount. Home Education families are very welcome to join any of our regular public play sessions and tickets are priced in the same way for all visiting families.
Home Education families are welcome at our regular play sessions, so you aren’t restricted to one particular Home Ed day or required to join a course.
For larger Home Education groups, please contact us to discuss your visit.
No. Our performer-led story is always optional. Children can join in completely, watch, come and go or continue with their own role play.
Discovery Village isn’t a classroom and we don’t prescribe a curriculum during normal play sessions. Instead, we provide an environment full of opportunities for children to learn through play, exploration and their own interests.
Yes. Home Education friends and organised groups are very welcome. Contact us if you are planning a larger visit and we’ll help you find the best option.
We’re in Christchurch, Dorset, close to Bournemouth Airport and within easy reach of Bournemouth, Poole, Ferndown, Ringwood and the New Forest.