Nessie Adventures
My Explorer Passport
NameClass
Colour a star for every place you visit with Nessie. Finish an adventure to win your Explorer certificate!
For schools
Bring Nessie into your classroom
Educational trips, school visits and free learning packs for eight 3D adventures around Scotland. Worksheets and quizzes at three levels, resources on history, wildlife and Nessie folklore, and everything you need to plan a safe trip.
Trips and visits
Educational trips and school visits.
Plan a trip →Worksheets and quizzes
Free to print for every adventure.
Open the packs →Learning resources
History, wildlife and Nessie folklore.
Explore topics →Prices and booking
Group prices and booking enquiries.
See prices →Teacher and safety
Risk assessments and safety advice.
Read more →See it in action
Nessie in 50 seconds
Real clips from the games: exploring Scotland in 3D, a quiz at Loch Ness, and the real places to visit afterwards. Use it as a hook at the start of a lesson, or share it with families.
The words are on screen, so it works with the sound off. The video only downloads when you press play.
In the classroom
How a Nessie lesson works
Use a whole adventure as a topic, or visit one or two places in a lesson.
- 1
Pick an adventure
Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Highlands, Inverness, Dundee, Stirling, Orkney or St Andrews. Each place has facts from Nessie, a quick quiz and a mini-game.
- 2
Explore together
Put it on the whiteboard and let the class steer, or play in pairs on tablets. Choose Computer or Phone or tablet when it starts.
- 3
Fill in the worksheet
Every answer can be found by listening to Nessie's facts. The answers are under each worksheet.
- 4
Celebrate
Children win a star at every place, and an Explorer certificate with their name when they finish.
Curriculum links
What children learn
Written for Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence, and a good fit for history and geography at KS1 and KS2.
| Social StudiesPeople, past events and societies | Castles, kings and queens, Flora MacDonald, Victorian buildings and 4,000-year-old cairns. Telling stories and evidence apart. |
|---|---|
| Social StudiesPeople, place and environment | Rivers, firths, lochs, glens and mountains. Finding the eight adventures on a map of Scotland. |
| Sciences | Volcanoes and glaciers, planets, and animals and their habitats: penguins, dolphins, reindeer, red deer and Highland cows. |
| Technologies | Bridges, cranes, canal locks, steam trains and ships. |
| Numeracy and mathematics | Counting, heights and lengths, telling the time and working with dates. |
| Literacy and English | Reading and listening for information, true or false quizzes, and writing postcards and diaries. |
| LanguagesGaelic (learners) and 1+2 languages | Greetings, numbers, colours and animals in Gaelic, and finding Gaelic words hidden in Scottish place names. |
| Expressive arts | Making postcards, designing outfits for Nessie, bagpipe music and Highland dancing. |
Downloadable worksheets and quizzes
Lesson ideas and worksheets
Pick an adventure. Each one has three lesson ideas and five printable sheets: worksheets and quizzes at three levels, a word search and a colouring page. To download, press Print and choose Save as PDF.
Printable
Explorer passport
Children colour a star for every place they visit. Print one each and keep it in their topic folder.
My Explorer Passport
Educational trips and school visits
Take learning outside the classroom
Explore a place in 3D before you go, visit it for real, then finish the worksheets back in class.
- 1
Before the trip
Play the adventure together on the whiteboard so children know what to look out for. Try the starter or explorer sheet.
- 2
On the day
Bring the Explorer passport. Children colour a star at every place they see for real.
- 3
Back in class
Finish the challenge sheet, make a postcard in the game and write about the trip.
Trip ideas
Edinburgh
Great for: Volcanoes, castles, kings and queens, animals
Castles on old volcanoes, a royal palace, free museums and a zoo with a penguin parade.
- Edinburgh Castle
- National Museum of Scotland
- Palace of Holyroodhouse
- Edinburgh Zoo
Glasgow
Great for: Transport, art, science and plants
Free museums, a giant crane and the shipbuilding story of the River Clyde.
- Riverside Museum
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
- Glasgow Science Centre
- Glasgow Botanic Gardens
The Highlands
Great for: Mountains, lochs, glaciers and wildlife
Loch Ness, Ben Nevis, island castles and a famous steam-train viaduct.
- Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle
- Ben Nevis
- Glencoe
- Cairngorms Reindeer
Inverness
Great for: Rivers and canals, prehistory and sea life
The River Ness, dolphins in the Moray Firth and 4,000-year-old cairns.
- Inverness Castle
- Clava Cairns
- Muirtown Locks
- Kessock Bridge and the Dolphins
Dundee
Great for: Polar exploration, design, space and volcanoes
Captain Scott's ship, Scotland's design museum and a big hill with a view.
- RRS Discovery
- V&A Dundee
- Mills Observatory
- Dundee Law
Stirling
Great for: Castles, battles and Scottish heroes
A castle on a rocky crag, William Wallace and the Battle of Bannockburn.
- Stirling Castle
- National Wallace Monument
- Battle of Bannockburn
- Old Town Jail
Orkney
Great for: The Stone Age, Vikings, wartime history and seabirds
A 5,000-year-old village, standing stones, Viking runes and puffins.
- Skara Brae
- Ring of Brodgar
- Italian Chapel
- Puffin Cliffs
St Andrews
Great for: Medieval history, the coast and rock pools
Long sandy beaches, cathedral ruins, a castle with secret tunnels and the home of golf.
- St Andrews Castle
- St Andrews Cathedral
- West Sands
- The Harbour and Pier
School visits: bring Nessie to your school
Would you like a Nessie Adventures visit to your school, in person or online? Tell us your year group, class size and dates, and we'll reply with what we can offer.
Learning resources
Scottish history, wildlife and Nessie folklore
Every adventure is packed with facts. Here's where to find each topic in the games and learning packs.
🏰 Scottish history
Stone Age villages and Vikings in Orkney, castles, kings and queens in Edinburgh and Stirling, Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn, and Captain Scott's ship in Dundee.
🐬 Wildlife
Dolphins in the Moray Firth, puffins and seals in Orkney, reindeer and red deer in the Highlands, crabs in St Andrews and penguins at Edinburgh Zoo.
🦕 Nessie folklore
The legend of the Loch Ness Monster, from Saint Columba's water beast to the famous 1934 photo, and other Scottish water legends like kelpies.
Nessie folklore lesson ideas
Literacy · Social Studies
Legend or evidence?
About 40 minutes
Read the legend timeline together. Children sort statements into "story" and "evidence", then decide what would convince them that Nessie is real.
You will need: statement cards to sort.
Sciences · Literacy
What really lives in Loch Ness?
About 45 minutes
Scientists tested the loch water for DNA and found lots of eel DNA. Children find out about real loch animals, such as salmon and eels, and make a fact file.
You will need: fact-file sheets, and books or tablets.
Expressive Arts · Literacy
Water monsters of Scotland
About 45 minutes
Scottish folk tales tell of kelpies, magical water horses. Children design their own loch creature, give it a name and write a short legend about it.
You will need: paper and colouring pencils.
Group prices and booking
Prices for schools
The games and printable resources are always free. For trips and visits, we'll send a quote for your group.
| 3D games for the classroomAll eight adventures, with classroom mode | Free |
|---|---|
| Worksheets, quizzes and learning packsThree levels, word searches, colouring pages, the passport and the Gaelic sheet | Free |
| School visitIn person or online. The price depends on group size and travel | Ask for a quote |
| Educational trip planningHelp planning a group trip to Loch Ness or around Scotland | Ask for a quote |
| Printed school activity packsComing soon in our shop | See the shop |
Ready to book?
Send a booking enquiry with your year group, class size and dates. We'll reply with a quote, and nothing is booked until you agree.
Teacher information
Risk assessments and safety
Practical help for planning a safe, enjoyable trip. Always follow your school's and local authority's own policies.
Planning a trip: checklist
- Contact the attraction's education team early. Many have school prices, workshops and their own risk assessments.
- Check opening times, toilets, lunch spaces, wet-weather options and access.
- Collect parental consent, medical information and allergy details.
- Follow your local authority's guidance on adult-to-pupil ratios.
- Take a first aider, a first aid kit and a charged school phone.
- Agree a head-count routine and a meeting point if anyone gets separated.
- Use badges with the school's phone number, not children's names.
Safety near water
- Loch Ness is very deep and very cold all year round. Keep children well back from the edge.
- No paddling or swimming unless it's a planned activity run by qualified staff.
- On boat trips, everyone follows the crew's safety instructions and wears a life jacket when asked.
- Keep groups together on piers, harbours, riverbanks and beaches.
Online safety in the games
Children don't need accounts, and the games have no adverts, no chat and no tracking. Progress and photos stay on the device. Classroom mode hides the photo button.
Access and inclusion
Nessie can read her facts aloud using the device's own voice, and the games work with a mouse, keyboard, touch screen or whiteboard. When you book a trip, tell each attraction about any access needs in your group.
Risk assessment template
A starting point for a trip to Loch Ness or any adventure place. Adapt it to your trip and check it against your school's own risk assessment process.
One A4 page to print and fill in.
Nessie Adventures · Teacher template
Trip risk assessment
SchoolTrip toDateTrip leaderAdults : pupilsEmergency contact
| Hazard | Who could be harmed | How we reduce the risk | Risk (L, M, H) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic at drop-off and road crossings | Pupils and staff | Use the coach park or a safe drop-off point. Cross together at safe crossings, with adults at the front and back. | |
| Water's edge: lochs, rivers, harbours and beaches | Pupils | Keep back from edges. No paddling or swimming unless planned and supervised. Life jackets on boats when the crew asks. | |
| Getting lost or separated | Pupils | Regular head counts. Small groups, each with a named adult. Agreed meeting point. School phone number on badges. | |
| Weather: cold, rain, sun or midges | Everyone | Check the forecast. Waterproofs and warm layers. Sun cream, water and insect repellent in summer. | |
| Slips and trips on steps, paths and ruins | Everyone | Sensible shoes. Walk, don't run, on steps, castle walls and uneven ground. | |
| Medical needs and allergies | Pupils and staff | Medical forms and medicines with a named adult. Allergy plan for packed lunches. First aider and first aid kit. | |
Template only. Adapt it to your trip, and follow your school's and local authority's policies, including adult-to-pupil ratios.
Checked byDate
Gàidhlig
Learn Gaelic with Niseag
Ionnsaich Gàidhlig le Niseag!
Nessie's Gaelic name is Niseag (say NEE-shak). Use these phrases, place names and words for Gaelic learners and 1+2 languages, or as a warm-up before any adventure.
Say hello like Niseag
- Halò!Hello!Say it: HA-loh
- Madainn mhath!Good morning!Say it: MAT-in VA
- Ciamar a tha thu?How are you?Say it: KIM-er a HA oo
- Tha gu math, tapadh leat.I'm well, thank you.Say it: ha goo MA, TAH-pa let
- Is mise Niseag.I am Nessie.Say it: iss MEE-shuh NEE-shak
- Fàilte!Welcome!Say it: FAAL-chuh
- Glè mhath!Very good!Say it: glay VA
- Mar sin leat!Goodbye!Say it: mar shin let
The say-it guides are a rough help for English speakers. To hear Gaelic speakers say each word, use the free dictionary at LearnGaelic.scot.
The adventures in Gaelic
- Dùn ÈideannEdinburgh
- GlaschuGlasgow
- A' GhàidhealtachdThe Highlands
- Inbhir NisInverness
- Dùn DèDundee
- SruighleaStirling
- ArcaibhOrkney
- Cill RìmhinnSt Andrews
Place-name clues. Lots of Scottish place names come from Gaelic words. Spot them on a map!
- Dùn → Dun a fort
- Inbhir → Inver a river mouth
- Cill → Kil a church
- Beinn → Ben a mountain
- Gleann → Glen a valley
- Loch → Loch a lake
Scotland is Alba, and Loch Ness is Loch Nis. Orkney's own old language was Norn, which came from the Vikings, but Orkney has a Gaelic name too.
Word bank
Animals in the games
- 🐬leumadairdolphin
- 🦭rònseal
- 🐦buthaidpuffin
- 🐄bòcow
- 🐴eachhorse
- 🦢ealaswan
- 🦌fiadhdeer
- 🦀crùbagor partancrab
Places
- 🏰caistealcastle
- 🌉drochaidbridge
- ⛰️beinnmountain
- 🏝️eileanisland
- 🌊muirsea
- 🏖️tràighbeach
- ⛵bàtaboat
- 🏫sgoilschool
Numbers
- 1aon
- 2dhà
- 3trì
- 4ceithir
- 5còig
- 6sia
- 7seachd
- 8ochd
- 9naoi
- 10deich
Colours
- deargred
- gormblue
- uainegreen
- buidheyellow
- orainsorange
- purpaidhpurple
- dubhblack
- gealwhite
Gaelic lesson ideas
Languages · Social Studies
Place-name detectives
About 40 minutes
Share the place-name clues: Dùn, Inbhir, Cill, Beinn and Gleann. In English they often turn into Dun, Inver, Kil, Ben and Glen. Children hunt for them on a map of Scotland. Who can find the most?
A big map of Scotland and the clue words.
Languages · Numeracy
Count with Niseag
About 20 minutes
Learn aon to deich (1 to 10). Children count claps, jumps and objects in Gaelic, then play a mini-game together and count Nessie's stars in Gaelic.
Number cards from 1 to 10.
Languages · Expressive Arts
Halò, Niseag!
About 30 minutes
In pairs, children act out a short chat with a Nessie puppet: Halò! Is mise… Ciamar a tha thu? Tha gu math, tapadh leat. Mar sin leat! Then they perform it for the class.
A Nessie puppet or picture (optional).
Printable Gaelic sheet
One A4 page for early and first level learners.
Nessie Adventures · Gaelic for learners
Gàidhlig le Niseag
NameClassDate
AMatch the word to the picture
Draw a line from each Gaelic word to its picture.
- leumadair
- ròn
- bò
- each
- eala
- crùbag
BCount in Gaelic
Write the number.
- trì =
- seachd =
- còig =
- deich =
- dhà =
- ochd =
CColour the balloons
Colour each balloon in the right colour.
- dearg
- gorm
- buidhe
- uaine
DSay hello to Niseag
Write your name, then draw yourself saying hello to Nessie.
Halò, Niseag! Is mise
Show the answers
A. Match the word to the picture
- leumadair: 🐬 dolphin
- ròn: 🦭 seal
- bò: 🐄 cow
- each: 🐴 horse
- eala: 🦢 swan
- crùbag (or partan): 🦀 crab
B. Count in Gaelic
trì = 3, seachd = 7, còig = 5, deich = 10, dhà = 2, ochd = 8
C. Colour the balloons
dearg = red, gorm = blue, buidhe = yellow, uaine = green
Do you speak Gaelic? Help us make Nessie bilingual
We'd love to make Nessie's facts, quizzes and worksheets fully bilingual in Gaelic and English. If you teach in Gaelic-medium education, run a Gaelic group, or speak Gaelic at home, get in touch and help shape it.
Classroom tips
Good to know
Do children need an account?
No. Open the website and play. There are no logins, and the games don't collect any information about children.
What is classroom mode?
Use the Open in classroom mode button for any adventure. Buttons and writing get bigger for whiteboards, the photo button is hidden, and the bagpipes start switched off. Tap the Classroom button in the game to start fresh for the next group, or to turn classroom mode off. The device remembers it until you turn it off.
Can we use shared tablets?
Yes. Stars and outfits are saved in each device's browser, so the next group will see the last group's progress. In classroom mode, tap Classroom, then Start fresh for the next group. You can also clear the browser's data for this website.
What about "Add your photo"?
It's optional. A photo is shrunk and kept only on that device, and is never uploaded. In class you can simply skip it.
Is there sound?
Yes: bagpipe music, sound effects, and Nessie can read her facts aloud using the device's own voice. Use the Bagpipes and Sound buttons at the top of the game to turn them off.
Which devices work best?
A recent computer, tablet or interactive whiteboard with an up-to-date web browser. On a tablet, choose Phone or tablet to get an on-screen joystick.
Get in touch
Questions or ideas?
Tell us how you're using Nessie, ask a question, or let us know which teacher resources you'd like next.
You can also email us:
hello@nessieadventures.com