Date and time
All 2024 holiday dates are now available to book
Price
£120 per person
Location
Chester Zoo
New for 2024
Ofsted registered – Tax-Free childcare
As a holiday childcare provider, Chester Zoo is registered with Ofsted, so adults can use Tax-Free childcare to pay for holiday activities with us. Please see below on how to pay with Tax-Free childcare.
Do you know a trainee conservationist in primary school years 1-3 (ages 5-8)? Join in with our Mini Rangers as we explore and learn at the zoo! We have lots of exciting activities for mini rangers on throughout the year.
Our incredible 3-day holiday club is perfect for young animal lovers and conservationists of the future. All 2024 holiday dates are now available to book.
Easter Holiday
Tuesday 2 April – Thursday 4 April 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday 9 April – Thursday 11 April 2024 (SOLD OUT)
May Half Term
Tuesday 28 May – Thursday 30 May 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Summer Holiday
Wednesday 24 July – Friday 26 July 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday 30 July – Thursday 1 August 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday 13 August – Thursday 15 August 2024
Tuesday 27 August – Thursday 29 August 2024 (SOLD OUT)
October Half Term
Tuesday 29 October – Thursday 31 October 2024
Everyday from 8.45am – 4pm
A typical holiday club may look like this:
8.45am – drop off at the conservation education hub.
9am-11am – A visit to an area of the zoo before opening and explore themes relating to our club topic.
11am-12pm – activities and team building games either outside in the zoo or in the hub.
12pm-1pm – lunch and time for free play.
1pm-3pm – A craft activity relating to the topic.
3pm – summary activity for the day.
4pm – pick up.
Who is it for?
Holiday clubs – Primary school years 1-3 (ages 5–8). Children should be booked into the school year group they are currently in. The school year runs from 1 September – 31 August.
What is included?
3 days of activities
Lunch is not included
Our Mini Ranger Holiday Clubs do not include any hands-on contact with any of the animals in the zoo, or behind-the-scenes access to any keeper areas.
Also NEW for 2024…
We are running additional early and late sessions for every day of our holiday clubs to give more flexibility on the times you can drop off and pick up your children. There will be lots of opportunity for free play and craft during these sessions!
Late sessions run from 4.15-5pm £4 per session.
We have a limited number of places available for each session. To book your child’s place, please email juniormembers@chesterzoo.org quoting your booking reference number and details of the days and sessions you’d like to book.
You are free to drop off and collect at any point during these sessions. We are unable to provide breakfast or tea but do recommend packing some extra snacks! Drinks are available throughout the day.
If you have any queries about the event, please email us at juniormembers@chesterzoo.org
We’ve got lots of events on offer which are suitable for a variety of ages. Head to our events page to discover more!
How to pay with Tax-Free childcare…
As Chester Zoo is Ofsted registered, you can use Tax-Free childcare to pay for your school holiday activities with us.
Please note that we are currently unable to process Childcare Vouchers.
If you are eligible and wish to pay via your tax-free childcare account, then email juniormembers@chesterzoo.org with the subject: Tax-free childcare account payment. Please state the name of the child and tax-free reference number, contact number, and what event you wish to book for and how many places. We will then send you further information on how to make payment.
Please note that we are unable to process tax-free childcare payment if it is 5 working days prior to the event.
What is Tax-Free childcare?
Tax-Free childcare is a government-backed scheme which offers eligible families up to £2,000 per child per year (or £4,000 for disabled children) free to put towards childcare costs.
The government will give you 20% additional funds for what you pay into your account. For every £8 you pay in, the government will automatically add £2, effectively giving you basic rate tax back on what you spend.
To find out more information and to see if you are eligible, please click here.