2,768 REVIEWSChildrens Activities in Chessington Garden Centre
Events that took place in 2023
Pet Shop
In the pet centre we provide home to numerous different types of animals. From reptiles such as Geckos, Lizards and Dragons to tortoise, fish and koi fish, our Garden Centre is not only host to these wonderful creatures, but also furry friends such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice and more. As we all know kids are extremely fascinated by animals, which is why the Pet Centre is so popular with them. We have such a knowledgeable and fun team that if your child wants to touch an animal or even ask questions about them, they are always willingly ready to help out.
Earlier this year we hosted pet week that coincided with kids half term. Over the week we held a range of activities that kids were able to partake in for free. Pet pals is one of the activities that takes place during this week, it is hands-on, interactive and informative, which makes it is so popular with the kids. This activity is hosted numerous times throughout the year due to the demand.
Things you should know about Pet Pals:
- Each child will need a space reserved
- Children will not be unsupervised while being shown the animals
- Any child (or adult) acting in an inappropriate way will be asked to leave
- You will not feed the animals
- You will be shown a variety of animals that are available that week. There is no guarantee or commitment to the types of animals we can show with a range of factors determining this.
- We will ask you to wash your hands with hand sanitiser before and after any handling of the animals.
Summer Activities
Kids Pizza Making Class
This was a brand new class for 2023 and at a cost of £10 it was sold out in days. The chefs in our Sedum Restaurant made fresh dough for each child to roll and top with whatever they liked, from the ingredients provided. The pizza was again cooked by our Sedum Restaurant team, and it was their to enjoy in their own time after the class finished.
How the class is run...
- Short introduction
- Create and decorate your very own chef's hat
- Fill in a pizza worksheet for the type of pizza you are going to make
- Rolling out dough and choosing which toppings you would like on your pizza
- A refreshment for the children will be provided during the class
- Class is expected to last max 1 hour, kids can eat the pizza in their own time
- The dishes and ingredients of this cooking class are not changeable
*All equipment including chef's hat, apron etc is included
The class ran for 5 weeks on a Monday over the Summer Holidays, and after such a great turn out, we are hoping to bring it back for the Summer of 2024.
Art and Craft Week
Bee Flowerpot Class
We are always looking for ways to inspire young gardeners over the months where the weather is glorious and the majority of time can be spent outdoors. We have delivered this class for a few years now, as it has proved to be extremeley fun and therefore popular amongst the kids. This class is a hands-on, creative experience that is hosted by one of our garden experts.
Make Your Own Herb Planter
A fun way to welcome the summer weather and encourage kids to get involved with a little easy gardening is to make herb planters for kids. They get to decorate their own herb planter and take home some herbs that they can continue to grow and take care of.
Plant Artwork Class
Get creative as we provide all the materials to create your own paint artwork design. We provide a selection of beautiful summer plants for inspiration, as well as facts about them to always inspire. This class is designed for 4+ year olds, as painting and cutting is included.
Throughout the year we hold seasonal events that are structured around children’s school holidays. These activities can range from small fee sessions such as art or pizza making classes, to speciality sessions such as Spooky Afternoon Tea or Christmas Wonderland, which can be booked onto at a higher cost. There are also many events throughout the year that your children can participate in for no cost at all! Throughout this blog post I will go into more detail about all the different types of events held during the year, but for now have a browse of our upcoming Halloween events by clicking the links below...
Christmas is definitely the most exciting time of year for children at our Garden Centre. As well as there being the annual activities to sign up for, the garden centre itself is magical, and any child would enjoy a wonder around.
The Christmas Wonderland is by far our most spectacular event of the year, and certainly one that's too good to miss out on! If you have been previously, do not worry, every year we create a new room with a new magical theme so that it is never the same. Obviously, we would all love to know where Santa hides throughout the year, and that will always be a secret. However, what we are sure of, is that he will park his sleigh up at Chessington Garden Centre between 18th November -24th December and he would love to see you all. To find out more and to book your experience, follow the link below.
Looking for something a bit more relaxed? Why not get into the Christmas spirit with seasonal flavours and foods cooked fresh by our team of chefs, with a little magic from our Christmas Elves too. See menu below:
- Ham Cheese Sandwich
- Mini Margarita Pizza
- Gingerbread Man Cookie
- Mini Plain Scone with Cream & Jam
- Christmas Tree Meringue
- Chocolate Cupcake
Our magical sleigh ride takes off from Saturday 18th November, you’ll be able to join Santa’s team on a magical immersive 4D experience. Fun for the whole family!
Christmas Farm Shop Market
We are so excited to invite back the brands that we supply in our farm shop for our annual Christmas market, where they are given the space to showcase their products, selling them at a discounted price to our loyal customers. Although this is not targeted at kids, it is a great event to bring your children to as there will be opportunities for product tastings, meaning you will be able to taste some of the foods you could potentially have over the Christmas period.
Roll up, roll up... Trick or Treat yourself to our scarily good Halloween Circus. Back by popular demand after a few years, we welcome the Circus of Dreams, bringing their brand new show for 2023. Join us for a spooktacular week at Chessington Garden Centre as we invite never-seen-before acts to Chessington Garden Centre. With jaw-dropping stunts, hilarious comedy and edge-of-the-seat tricks, it’s a must see for any family during October half term!
If you're wanting to spend some quality time with your child over a delicious and calm afternoon tea, the Kids Spooky Tea is perfect for you. Why not make it a group affair by inviting yours or your child's friends too! See menu to the left or click the link below for more information and to book.
This virtual reality experience offers a perfect family attraction all year round! Housed in a haunted barn*, once aboard, you’ll be seamlessly transported into the virtual haybarn using our HD VR headsets. Your intrepid journey will soon begin, along with the incredible range of motions our cart has to offer; two front fans and surround sound for a fully immersive 4D experience. Tilting forwards, backwards and side to side, the cart’s movements have been specially designed to mirror those of the full 360-degree experience, creating a truly spooktacular journey for all the family.
Recommended age 4-12 years old. Younger children can ride but at parents' discretion. The ride is spooky and not intended to be scary.
Join us for a week of kids halloween fun, in order to support our much loved charity, Rainbow Trust. Activites will run from 10am-3pm daily. Activies will include witches hat hoopla, target shooting and guess the weight of the pumpkin. There will also be craft room open and available to all the kids that want to get a little bit more creative. This is free of charge, but a small donation to Rainbow Trust would be greatly appreciated.
Sedum Restaurant
All year round we have a number of home-made goods for your kids to enjoy, such as pizza, sandwiches, cakes, ice cream and so much more. Throughout the summer months we put together a number of family offers, so that you are put at ease when visiting the garden centre with your children. Have a look below to see some examples of these offers from the summer of 2023. We look forward to increasing our food availability for children and putting more family offers together as we do so. If you do have any other suggestions, please leave us a review! The team at Sedum Restaurant are also the brains behind the kids afternoon teas and other events such as pizza making. It is a great area to hold events that get children socialising, during the periods they are not at school, as well allowing our team to inspire those younger.
Around the Garden Centre
Around the garden centre, there are many products that can be found that are targeted towards children. Throughout the year you will find most of the children's stock towards the checkouts, which include; reading books, colouring books, puzzles and games. The seasonal periods such as Halloween and Christmas are best for children's shopping, as we create promotional displays for kids to enjoy, with items such as sweet treats, cuddly toys and games. Summer is also a brilliant time to find activities for children, especially in the peak of summer, where we provide the garden games and paddling pools. You can also buy grow-your-own bulbs and plants, which is a great way to inspire your children and get them into gardening.
