Activities
Coming soon Activities for Autumn & Winter 2010
Family Bat Walk - Thursday 26th August 2010, 7:30pm - 10:00pm
Come and discover the secret lives of bats on our Ranger led night walk.
This free event is open to the public, no booking is required and all are welcome. It will involve meeting at the Lecarrow Community Centre, Lecarrow Village, Co. Roscommon, where a presentation will be given, followed by a walk with the possibilty of trapping and identifying bats.
For more information, please contact 071 9666 704
Guided Family Woodland Walk, St Johns Wood, Co. Roscommon - Saturday 28th August, 11am and 2pm
Join us for some Nature Awareness Activities and much more!
Traditional woodland craft demonstration on the day.
Booking is essential on our woodland walk as places are limited. For further information and booking please contact 071 9666 704
Past Activities 2009
Free Public Workshops
The National Parks and Wildlife Service Education Unit based in Ballinafad, near Boyle has organised a series of Free Public Workshops for 2009. The workshops are organised to run once a month and are aimed at encouraging the general public to become more actively involved in the care and conservation of our wildlife and their habitats.
The Workshops are funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and are therefore free to the public, however those wishing to participate will need to book their places in advance of each workshop as places are usually limited. The workshops are primarily for adults but children can also get involved as long as they are under the constant care and supervision of their parents / guardians. To provisionally book your place, simply telephone our NPWS Education Centre at either: 071 9666704 and leave your name and a contact number at which a message can be left. Places will be offered on a first come, first served basis and you will be notified if a place is available for you and of any further details.
The Workshop Schedule is as follows:
April
Sunday 19th: 2.30 - 4.30 pm Gardening for Nature with Rosalind Wickham, Horticulturalist and NPWS Education Officer.
Pease note: The Gardening for Nature Workshop is now fully booked
May
Sunday 17th: 2.30 - 5pm - Nature Explorers Day for all the family.
A series of Workshops are being held on Nature Explorers Day to launch Biodiversity Week in this National Parks and Wildlife Service Region. Activities on the day will include :
A Mini beast Safari - Use our Pooters and Bug viewers to examine some of the smaller animals that live in our gardens and play a very important role in our natural environment.
Aliens Show .. an opportunity to see and find out more about some of the invasive species that have come into Ireland in recent times and pose a threat to our native flora and fauna.
Pond Life Exploration - Use our pond nets and get a closer look at what lives in a pond.
Stream Dipping - Safely explore life in a stream
Nature Under the Microscope - Get a close up look at some plants and small animals
Under Ground life Display
Birds of Prey Demonstartion
Moth Identifiction Challenge
Hedgerow Explorers Expedition
Tree Trail Challenge
Young Explorers Puppet Show - A puppet show scripted by a group of 12 local young people about Bog Conservaiton and Biodiversity. Teh puppets have been made by the Young Explorers also.
Young Explorers Club
Local Children aged 8 - 12 years are invovled in a conservation education initiative called the Young Explorers Club. The club members participate in a variety of conservation activities and projects. They are currently involved in writing and presenting their own Puppet Show based on a bog conservation theme. All the puppets are being designed and made by the young participants. They hope to present their puppet show to their peers in other localities throughout the region so as to enable them to appreciate the value of our bogs and to encourage them to play their part in their conservation for future generations to enjoy.
Sensory Garden
Community and other groups are encouraged to visit and enjoy the Sensory Garden located at the centre. A free tour of the garden by our resident horticulturalist, Roslaind Wickham can be arranged by contacting the centre. The centre also boasts a wildlife pond, stream dipping platform, LINNET plot (tillage crop for wildlife) and bird hide.
The following is an outline of the main areas of activity of the North Midlands Education Centre
Family and Community
Centre Based:
The following is a list of some of the activities that take place at our Education Centre
Open Days
Workshops
Evening Talks
Interactive Nature Trails – Indoor + Outdoor
Young Explorers Club
Outreach:
Education staff travel throughout the North Midlands Region to provide or assist with, a wide range of community events and activities such as:
Science week
Providing an interactive display at the Science and Technology Fair
World Wetlands Week
Organising a range of events that promote public awareness of the existence and value of our wetland habitats as well as active participation in their conservation.
Biodiversity Week
Organising activities that enable communities to become aware of biodiversity and its value within their own localities as well as the country as a whole.
In addition education staff work with other bodies including:
The Irish Tree Council, Coillte and the Local Authorities
Facilitating community tree planting events during Tree Week. Providing guided woodland walks during Tree Week
Heritage Council
Assisting communities to carry out wildlife and conservation projects as part of their Tidy Towns activities.
OPW
Providing a bog land ecology programme for young people in Corlea Track Way Centre, Co. Longford.
NGOs
NGOs such as Bird Watch Ireland, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Irish Bat Conservation Group, The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group - Encouraging the general public to join and to participate related activities such as survey work.
Schools Outreach Programmes
Education staff developed a range of conservation programmes that are offered to schools throughout the region. Education staff travel to schools to deliver the programmes either in the school grounds or at a nearby wildlife site. Each of the conservation programmes is linked to the SESE curriculum contain the following elements:
Power point presentation – to create awareness and provide basic knowledge
Field study and / or other activity – to develop skills and understanding
Review and related Project – to promote positive attitudes and behaviours and encourage a sense of responsibility for the care and conservation of the natural environment
Evaluation
For further details and boooking forms please contact the Education Office.
Telephone: 071 9666704
Mobile: 087 236 8630
Discover Primary Science Centre based Programmes
Click the underlined text below to find out more about Discover Primary Science at the
Discover Primary Science website
The National Parks and Wildlife Service [North Midlands Region] Education Centre has been selected and supported by Forfas to operate as a Discover Primary Science Centre. The centre offers a range of nature education programmes free of charge to primary schools . For further details an dbooking forms please contact the Education Office.
Telephone: 071 9666704
Mobile: 087 236 8630