Greta Ní Riain

These sessions will aim to promote courageous and active learners as the children explore their local environment while developing and deepening their relationship with the land around them. The children will immerse themselves into regular sessions visiting a woodland or green space near their school. The sessions will include activities such as plant identification, tree identification, woodland crafts, wild cooking, foraging, wild life tracking, making herbal remedies, storytelling, den building, songs and woodland games that promote problem solving, fire making and creative skills.

Free play and supported risk taking is encouraged in these forest school sessions as children connect to the land of their ancestors breathing beneath their feet.

Greta will take you on a journey of identifying various plants in the locality and how these plants were used as medicines by our ancestors and how they are still used today. The Dúchas collection will be used as an essential resource here to look at the folklore associated with each plant.

Children will learn to recognise the differences between these herbs as they watch them grow from seed. It is an opportunity for children to develop their relationship with the world of plants that can grow abundantly in Ireland. Learning the skills of planting, watering, weeding and caring for a plant are the essential skills the children will learn here. A selection of herbs can be chosen for each class to sow and eventually these herbs can be harvested and used accordingly

The essential steps in creating a schools garden will be discussed.

Seed saving, soil health, no dig method and composting will be explored.

Children will plan and have the chance to plan a year in their schools garden and become care takers of their very own plants.

Children will delve into the world of flora, fauna and habitats on their doorstep, stopping and pausing along the way and reflecting on what we see in front of our very eyes.They will be provided with binoculars, magnifying glasses and other equipment that provide an exciting lens to explore the Gifts Of Eden.

Immerse into the wealth of songs of the locality and bring these songs to life through movement.

Excite our ears by listening to stories of the locality and researching the stories our ancestors sharing them with each other.