Tony Kenneally - Heritage Experts | Heritage in Schools

Tony Kenneally

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Tony  Kenneally  Minibeast Hunt
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Subject(s):
Science, Geography
Curriculum Strands:
Natural environments (Geography), Living things (Science)
Counties catered for:
Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath
Classes catered for:
All Classes

Book in-person visit


Tony is a Wildlife Biologist with expert knowledge on a broad range of Irish flora and fauna. He has experience delivering nature themed programmes to children of all ages from his time working with Killarney National Park Education Centre.

In-person school visits

Choose from the following or contact Tony for further information:

Using stuffed birds of prey, the children get to see and touch birds such as sparrowhawk and peregrine falcon; the fastest animal on the planet! I explain how birds of prey are adapted for hunting and the interactions between them and their prey, through videos, powerpoint presentations and follow on lesson plans. We also look for common garden birds and how putting up bird feeders is an easy way to watch birds while also benefiting the birds.

Using pooters and nets, the children will collect invertebrates from the school yard, which they can later examine and identify using simple identification keys. This is a really fun, hands on activity that engages the children's curiosity for the natural world.

Children will be provided with a chart showing the shapes of different leaves that they will be asked to find. This will help them identify the different trees that can be found around the school grounds or locality.

This topic is geared towards springtime when children will discover the world of amphibians (frogs and newts). Children will learn about the habitats where amphibians can be found, their lifecycles and how to make your garden Aamphibian friendly. Children will be given the opportunity to hold live common newts and see live tadpoles and frog spawn, preferably in their natural habitat if possible.

During these sessions children will be shown how to make a habitat map of their school grounds. Based on this the children will be shown how to enhance the biodiversity value of their school by creating wildlife garden, planting flowers beneficial to pollinators and other insects. These topics are probably more suitable for 4th to 6th classes and would be ideal as a school biodiversity project for Green schools.

Testimonials

  • "Excellent presenter. Pupils thoroughly Tony's visit to school. Parents stated afterwards that the visit was very interesting and enjoyed by all."
  • "Tony's presentation was excellent and he engaged both parents and children in a very informative and interactive session on birds of prey. In one class the children followed up on his talk by doing a project on the Sky Hawk."
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  • "Tony's presentation was superb and was thoroughly enjoyed by parents and children. He was very well prepared and imparted a tremendous amount of knowledge to the students."
  • "Tony was absolutely excellent. He was well prepared, he engaged both children & parents in his presentation and sent on resources after his visit which the teachers used to follow up on the learning from his visit. A thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience which added greatly to the success of our One Book One Community project."
  • "Tony had great resources that the children loved being able to touch. The class that went outside were fascinated by what they saw and they all loved the Youtube clip. It was suggested that perhaps a Powerpoint would be great for the visual learners and maybe have a little more classroom management. Tony explained his work clearly and had the children engrossed in the topic. Thanks tony!"
  • "The presentation was very informative and supportive of our preparations for the Green Flag. Pupils really enjoyed the presentation." - St. Bridgid's N.S., Kerry
  • "Children were very engaged throughout and learned a lot on garden birds & Birds of prey."
  • "Excellent tutor, very engaging with the pupils, thoroughly enjoyed his talk." - Gneeveguilla N.S., Kerry
  • "Tony was excellent as always"
  • "The support of the Heritage Council is an invaluable asset to schools and has allowed us give the children this lovely learning experience." - Knockaderry N.S., Kerry
  • "Children greatly enjoyed the visit and were engaged throughout." - Cloverfield NS, Limerick
  • "We had a great day with Tony. He came to school very well prepared with all of the necessary equipment to conduct our field study in the woodland habitat beside the school. He also had worksheets prepared for the children and had identification charts of leaves and minibeasts available to the children. He gave just the right amount of information to each class before letting them explore the habitat . He identified the leaves and minibeasts which the children discovered. The children learned a huge amount from his visit to the school." - Scoil Mhuire na Trocaire, Cork
  • "A lovely gentleman who was easy to deal with and interacted very well with the children." - Scoil Chaitriona, Limerick
  • "Tony showed great video clips, the children responded well to his questions, they really enjoyed it, the time flew" - Dromina NS, Cork
  • "Mr Kenneally was a lovely man and the children thoroughly enjoyed his visit to our school." - Anon
  • "The children thoroughly enjoyed the visit which was both engaging and informative" - Maulatrahane NS, Cork
  • "Tony was very obliging and helpful and all the classes that wanted to go out with him got the opportunity to do so. He is a font of knowledge about the natural world and the focus on native trees was apt for the time of the year and for the children, who learned how to identify our native and non-native tree species - many for the first time." - Glenville NS, Cork
  • "Absolutely super experience and learning. So needed for the pupils of today. Would love more of this ongoing." - Carnane Mixed NS, Limerick
  • "Really enjoyable visit, very positive feedback from all staff members and children. Informative talk, kept the children engaged through the use of both hands on and digital material. Getting to see the birds, nests and nest boxes and feel them was a highlight for the children. Would highly recommend a visit from Tony." - Bunscoil Rinn an Chabhlaigh, Cork

Additional Information

  • Provides in-person visits
  • Caters for special needs
  • Provides practical/hands-on activities
  • Provides field trips

Contact Details

Mobile:
086 0711227
Email:
kenneallytony93@gmail.com