/ Isle of Wight Trip Activities / Roar into the Isle of Wight Past
Located on the vibrant seafront of Sandown, Dinosaur Isle is an architectural marvel designed in the shape of a giant pterosaur, serving as a gateway to the "Dinosaur Capital of Great Britain." This purpose-built museum offers school groups an immersive encounter with the prehistoric giants that once dominated the Isle of Wight. For students, the sheer scale of the life-sized reconstructions and the thousands of genuine fossils on display provide an unforgettable stimulus for scientific enquiry and historical imagination.
The museum serves as a premier living classroom for the Key Stage 2 curriculum, specifically addressing themes of "Evolution and Inheritance" and "Rocks and Soils." Pupils can witness the incredible diversity of local species, from the herbivorous Iguanodon to the formidable Neovenator. A unique highlight is the large glass-fronted laboratory, where students can watch professional palaeontologists at work, cleaning and preserving newly discovered specimens. This provides a direct link between classroom theory and real-world scientific careers.
Beyond the skeletal remains, Dinosaur Isle vividly recreates the ancient environments of the island. Through high-quality animatronics, atmospheric lighting, and soundscapes, school groups are transported back 125 million years to a world of tropical floodplains and swamps. This sensory-rich experience helps pupils understand how global climates and habitats have shifted across deep time, offering a powerful geographical context for discussing our planet’s changing environment and the impact of physical processes like coastal erosion.
A visit to Dinosaur Isle is a high-impact addition to any residential itinerary, perfectly balancing academic rigour with the pure excitement of discovery. The museum’s dedicated education team is expert at tailoring sessions to suit all ages, ensuring that every child leaves with a deeper appreciation for the island's global scientific importance. Whether your group is exploring the interactive displays or marveling at the giant footprints, the museum guarantees a memorable highlight that will be the talk of the coach journey home.
Here's some of the most frequently-asked questions about school visits to Dinosaur Isle, posed by teachers and other group leaders
Bottled water, juices and other chilled drinks are available to purchase from the museum shop, along with some snacks and confectionary. There is no on-site café or hot drink facility for visitors.
Eye wash station and first aid kit is located in the museum laboratory, just off of the museum’s dinosaur gallery (Gallery 2) – ask a member of staff or your museum guide will assist you.
On fossil walks, your museum staff member will carry a first aid kit with them, for school first-aid qualified adults to apply.
Hand sanitiser available on request from museum staff members.
Dinosaur Isle includes a beach fossil hunt. Sturdy footwear and clothing suitable for the weather conditions are required. There is a small chance that feet may get wet, so spare socks/shoes might be worth packing. The beach is quite exposed, so we recommend bringing a sunhat during sunnier months, a water bottle, and sun screen – to save time we advise applying sun screen before arriving / setting off on your fossil walk. Bring a bag for your fossil finds!
Staff room by arrangement
You can use the grassed area outside the museum or in poor weather, subject to availability, you may use the education room inside upstairs.
There are toilets inside the museum building on the ground floor, including a disabled toilet.
At the beach, public toilets are available in the car park close to where you will enter the beach area – however, these have been upgraded and are now pay-to-use (50p per use, payable by coin or contactless payment).
The following Dinosaur Isle educational resources are FREE to use when you book your trip with Education Destination. Some include pre or post-visit classroom work, others are on-site activities. All are accompanied by detailed Teacher Notes and some even have sample lesson plans!
Prepared by our expert team of teachers with local Island knowledge, each resource addresses a specific National Curriculum topic. Click on any image for full details.
